A Review of Factors That Enable the Retention of Women in the Built Environment Workforce

The built environment sector is dominated by an ageing, white male workforce and the sector is facing skills deficiencies. Women are an untapped resource that can be utilised to bridge the skills shortage. However, retaining women in these professions remains a persistent challenge as they exit the workforce due to the masculine nature of the industry, gender stereotypes, inflexible work practices, lack of access to career advancement opportunities and inequitable remuneration. Studies examining the retention of women in the workforce are sparse. This study aims to address this gap by critiquing and synthesising previous literature on the factors that enable the retention of women in the built environment workforce. The study found that organisational factors (advancement to career progression, support from mentors, peer support, recognition from peers, equitable remuneration and benefits, role identity and work engagement) are the most cited retention factors, followed by individual factors (role identity and work engagement), and societal factors have the least prominence.