M.Tech. / Purpose: This study looked at the challenges and gender-based issues which women in construction face in South Africa and abroad compared to their male counterparts in order to establish why fewer women are attracted to the industry as compared to men and why women in construction have a lower success rate. Methodology: A literature review on the topic was completed and close-ended and open-ended questions were posed in the questionnaire, which was completed by contractors and consultants nationwide and subsequently analyzed. Problem investigated: Women have not emerged as significant players in the industry both in terms of size and volume of contracts, as well as breaking down the 'glass ceiling' which is still faced by many women today, especially consultants. Findings: Construction has always been a male dominated industry. Therefore, women continue to feel restricted and not well received by their male counterparts. Women still confirm that they have to constantly prove their worth to their male counterparts in order to be accepted and add value to the organization. Research limitations: The study focused on women in the construction industry as a whole and did not look at women specifically within the various built environment disciplines. Further research is also required to investigate and look into female students' experiences whilst studying and after graduation. Value: The study highlights the challenges and gender-based issues that exist with women in construction today, and suggests what should be done to attract and retain more women in the sector.

With the renewal of interest in nuclear energy as a green energy source, battery plant manufacturing for electric vehicles, and semiconductor fabrication plant construction, it is necessary to address the evolution of complacency as it relates to industrial facility leadership and the widespread reduction in force of essential critical infrastructure workers. As a skilled craft person in the piping trades, with almost two decades of experience in mechanical construction, ten of those years as a nuclear worker, and as a traveling pipefitter working at chemical, refinery, and gasification plants, I am intimately aware of the behaviors, practices, and procedures inherent to these industrial facilities. This personal and professional experience, in addition to gatekeeper status, affords me access to a diverse craft base and corporate leadership. Because of this atypical positioning, I am capable of discerning variances in standard procedures and protocols, changing conditions and manpower shortfalls. Qualitative research methods, including interviews, public documentation, and information from industry organizations, such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, are all employed to collect this information. My research addresses the industrial events that are detrimental to human security due to corporate leadership's role in complacency, which includes its involvement in understaffing and temporary manpower practices, in tandem with human performance and escalated risk behaviors.

Thesis (MTech (Construction Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-157). Also available online.

PhDRDV / Instutute for Rural Development / The overall purpose of this study was to describe a model for the development of women in construction in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. To achieve this purpose two phases were used i.e., the two stage empirical phase that employed a mixed method research process to identify and understand the development needs of women in construction and a theory-generation phase, which consisted of 8 stages that interfaced with phase 1 The population of the study were stakeholders in the construction industry namely, women contractors who are active grade 2 (registered as such on the CIDB register of contractors) and owner-managers in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, representative of the board of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA), the Independent Development Trust (IDT), the Council for the Built Environment (CBE) and the South African Women in Construction (SAWIC). Qualitative data was collected through in-depth one-on-one interviews, whilst quantitative data was gathered through administering questionnaires. Six (6) stakeholders participated in the interviews and out of the targeted 167 in the CIDB register, 120 completed the questionnaires. The results of the empirical phase were subjected to the 8-step method of theory generation according to Chinn and Kramer (2011:152- 205). A conceptual framework for the model for development of rural women in construction was organized by applying the proposed elements of a practice theory according to Dickhoff, James & Wiedenbach (1968) and Barnum (1994). The theoretical evaluation of a model was done utilizing Chinn and Kramer (2011:205) criteria for evaluation of a theory. Guidelines to operationalize the theory were also described as well as recommendations and conclusion.