Professional women and career impediments in the construction industry in Nigeria

Male professionals have dominated the construction industry all over the world. This paper examines the issues that affect professional women, whose numbers are beginning to grow, within the industry in Nigeria. The study relied on data obtained using questionnaires administered on 120 professional women in seven areas of construction professions. The professionals in this survey were located in the cities of Abuja, Kaduna, and Lagos in Nigeria. A total of 89 questionnaires were received and used for the analysis and discussions. The result showed that there are considerable career opportunities for professional women in the industry, though some of these areas pose serious conflict with their roles as wives/mothers, which therefore affects their career advancement in such fields. The paper concluded with some recommendations to address these conflicts and encourage more women to join the different professions within the industry.