What are the key turning points in female career progression? The case of a senior manager in a small construction firm

The under representation of women in senior management positions in construction is well documented. The enduring response to this situation has been a mantra for change which has rotated around a raft of interventions which, if done to the industry, will make the sector more attractive to women. The unfortunate (but not surprising) reality is that these interventions have not brought about sustained improvement. This invites speculation that these solutions assume that individuals, in this case women, engage in a process of rational career planning and progression which is solely and significantly influenced by external factors such as enabling employment law and conducive construction image and culture. The point of departure for this paper is that such assumptions are placing our efforts in the wrong place. In this paper we report early results from an ongoing European Social Fund project. The initial findings are indicating that the career decisions of such managers are a product of serendipitous circumstances and choices which produce idiosyncratic transitions and turning points in career progression. Moreover, these choices appear not to be affected by any externally driven agendas or realities, such as equality and diversity or construction image / culture considerations.