The development of women in the South African construction workforce in terms of employment, training and skills acquisition

The legacy of Apartheid contributed to poor conditions and the marginalisation of women, particularly black women. The government is committed to changing gender profiles through Employment Equity (EE) and Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBBEE). This thesis argues that women can be trained in skills and employment in the construction industry and that this would contribute to the upliftment of women in South Africa (SA). Literature on women in construction in developed countries states the workplace has to be organised against discrimination in terms of entry, training and promotion, with involvement of government, employers and unions to achieve results. In SA, literature shows entry, training, and health and safety (negatively compounded by the AIDS) are problematic. For women, vocational and modular training incorporating acquisition of skills on-the-job is more suitable than apprenticeships. A study on the attitudes and perceived barriers to women in construction was conducted in South Africa between 2004 and 2006. The sample size was: 116 employees (43 male, 73 female); 60 owner/managers (27 male, 13 female); 30 (29 male, 1 female) academics and industry respondents and 106 female scholars. Comparison of the total spread of results showed that there is a substantial concordance of opinion across all the groups and for most of the significant subjects. Results gave the first three choices which elicited the greatest response as artisan training; feminine qualities and appropriate skill. Conclusions indicated that there are numerous motivating factors for women to be employed in terms of their abilities, the qualities they bring to the workplace, the needs of the industry for skilled workforce and the requirements of the constitution. Women need to be trained for very specific tasks to give them the edge to maintain and advance their positions. The thesis thus proved as positive the hypotheses that women can be employed at skills’ level on sites in the South African construction industry and the sub-hypotheses that: enabling them to work on sites will improve lives of individuals and uplift communities; changing gender inequality will lead to women developing as entrepreneurs and developing SMMEs. Recommendations to the construction industry were to create awareness in communities and schools; provide training and jobs and ensure safety on-site. And to potential employees: to respond to opportunities to acquire skills - particularly given the current government aims of employment for women in traditionally male occupations.