Authors: Nadia Zamer, Georgios Papadopoulos, Dimitris Stamatiou, Nektaria Dervakou

Title: Research on women engineers career path in construction industry

Abstract

Gender equality is not only a core social value but an integral part of European Union social policy. Integrating women fully in society and in the workplace is no longer perceived as a social issue only, but also as a critical factor for economic growth and social cohesion worldwide.

The construction sector is the largest industrial sector in the EU and contributes 11% to GDP, occupying directly or indirectly more than 25 million employees.

The effect of gender in different fields of production and industry and in in the economic life of a country in the recent years has been studied and analyzed by the international literature. However, the study of very small presence of women engineers in the construction industry which is the largest industrial sector is minimal.

This study aims firstly to identify the obstacles and challenges that women engineer face in the construction field and secondly to identify and advise methods for motivating women at the construction environment and propose to companies and countries methods for minimizing gender inequality in the construction sector.