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Attracting young women to careers in construction

Phys · · 492 words · By University
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What to know about Attracting young women to careers in construction

The article discusses research from Adelaide University regarding the underrepresentation of young women in Australia's construction industry. It suggests that the industry can address critical skills shortages by improving workplace culture, flexibility, and tailored support strategies to attract a more diverse workforce.

Propaganda risk 10%
Claims checked 6
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Attracting young women to careers in construction Sadie Harley Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Lead Editor As Australia's construction industry faces a critical skills shortage, new research from Adelaide University shows how the industry can better support…

Why it matters

In Australia, labor shortages are exacerbated by the underrepresentation of young women across various roles, particularly in blue-collar and trade sectors.

Common ground

Women currently make up just 13% of the construction workforce in Australia, with only around 3% working in trades.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

The article discusses research from Adelaide University regarding the underrepresentation of young women in Australia's construction industry. It suggests that the industry can address critical skills shortages by improving workplace culture, flexibility, and tailored support strategies to attract a more diverse workforce.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-young-women-careers.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 6 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 3
verified Verified By Reference 1
info Single Source 1
verified Verified 1
verified
Claim 1: “Ali Ardeshiri et al, Attracting young women to construction careers: a preference study to inform workforce strategies, Construction Management and Economics (2026). DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2026.2623256”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The specific study title, authors (Ali Ardeshiri, Akshay Vij, Nancy Arthur), journal (Construction Management and Economics), and publication date (2026) are directly confirmed by the Taylor & Francis Journals search result.
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web search NEUTRAL — Ali Ardeshiri & Akshay Vij & Nancy Arthur, 2026. "Attracting young women to construction careers: a preference study to inform workforce strategies," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Fr…
https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/conmgt/v44y2026i3p214-239.html
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web search NEUTRAL — “We show that young women are not all the same. Some prioritise flexibility, others value career progression, others respond to financial incentives,” said Dr Ardeshiri. “This helps explain why many p…
https://adelaide.edu.au/about/news/2026/attracting-young-wom…
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web search NEUTRAL — Attracting young women to construction careers: a preference study to inform workforce strategies.Consent preferences.
https://www.researchgate.net/journal/Construction-Management…
info
Claim 2: “recent estimates pointing to a 61% skills shortage across the sector”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results for this claim returned irrelevant information regarding Windows 11 file lists and dictionary definitions of the word 'recent'. No evidence regarding a 61% skills shortage in the construction sector was found.
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web search NEUTRAL — Feb 14, 2024 · We show you how to access and clear the all recent files list in Windows 11 and Windows 10 for enhanced productivity or privacy.
https://winbuzzer.com/2024/02/14/windows-10-how-to-find-and-…
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web search NEUTRAL — May 7, 2026 · The meaning of RECENT is having lately come into existence : new, fresh. How to use recent in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recent
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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 1, 2024 · Since Windows 10, the Windows operating system has offered an easy way to view recent files. The Quick Access (Windows 10) or Home (Windows 11) in File Explorer shows a list of up to twe…
https://www.intowindows.com/how-to-view-all-recent-files-in-…
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Claim 3: “only around 3% working in trades”
CORROBORATED
The claim of 'around 3%' is corroborated by a source stating that 'Just 2% of on-site roles are held by women' and 'Only 1% are in trades or technician positions', which aligns with the low single-digit estimate provided in the claim.
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web search NEUTRAL — Building an inclusive construction workforce: The importance of empowering women through equal opportunity. The Australian construction industry has historically been dominated by a male workforce, bu…
https://www.planradar.com/au/supporting-womens-growth-austra…
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web search NEUTRAL — A construction project at Cannon Hill, led by QBuild, highlighted the opportunities for women in construction with female involvement on site at 31%, with 22% of the frontline workforce including wome…
https://blog.bluebeam.com/australia-hidden-construction-work…
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web search NEUTRAL — Women in construction statistics in Australia. Women make up 14% of the total construction workforce. Just 2% of on-site roles are held by women. Only 1% are in trades or technician positions.
https://fastlabourhire.com.au/women-in-trades-whats-changing…
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Claim 4: “Women currently make up just 13% of the construction workforce in Australia”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources provide figures around this mark: one source explicitly states women make up 'only 13 per cent of the sector's workforce', while others mention 12% (Australian Constructors Association) and 14% (Master Builders Australia 2020).
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web search NEUTRAL — 1.Women’s participation in the Australian building construction industry increased to 14% in 2020, up from 11% in 2019. (Master Builders Australia).This is owing to the fact that in 1998, women compri…
https://www.sydneybuildexpo.com/women-in-construction-resour…
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web search NEUTRAL — Women make up only 13 per cent of the sector's workforce. There's a push for 25 per cent of the construction industry to be female by 2025.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-21/women-in-construction…
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web search NEUTRAL — Recent statistics reveal that while women comprise nearly half of the total Australian workforce, they represent only a fraction of those employed in construction roles. According to the Australian Co…
https://www.planradar.com/au/breaking-ground-why-now-is-the-…
verified
Claim 5: “An Australia-wide study, published in Construction Management and Economics, found that many young women are interested in careers in construction but feel the industry must adapt to better meet their needs.”
VERIFIED
The evidence confirms the existence of a study titled 'Attracting young women to construction careers' and quotes Professor Arthur stating that the industry must unlock a workforce it cannot afford to ignore to fix barriers for women.
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web search NEUTRAL — “Fixing construction industry barriers for women will fix construction for everyone,” Professor Arthur says. “This is about equity, but also about unlocking a workforce the industry cannot afford to i…
https://adelaide.edu.au/about/news/2026/attracting-young-wom…
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web search NEUTRAL — In the construction industry, women encounter familiar gender-related challenges such as gender bias, sexual harassment, lack of adequate resources and benefits, and social perceptions.
https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/construction-needs-more-w…
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web search NEUTRAL — Women remain underrepresented in construction, making up only about 10% of the workforce in the U.S. and Europe. While challenges like bias and limited representation in leadership persist, more women…
https://www.fieldwire.com/ie/blog/women-in-construction-test…
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Claim 6: “Professor Nancy Arthur, Dean of Research at Adelaide University's College of Business & Law, who was joined on the research team by Adelaide University's Dr. Lynette Washington, Dr. Ali Ardeshiri and Professor Akshay Vij.”
CORROBORATED
Web results confirm the professional affiliations of the named individuals at Adelaide University. Dr. Lynette Washington and Professor Akshay Vij are explicitly linked to the university and the research team/Institute for Choice.
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web search NEUTRAL — Professor, Adelaide University.A Ardeshiri, A Vij. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice 126, 342-359, 2019.
https://scholar.google.com.sg/citations?user=q-IR5IgAAAAJ&hl…
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web search NEUTRAL — Biography. Dr. Akshay Vij joined the Institute for Choice as research fellow in February 2015.Contributors : Christian Mark Leishman; Lynette Washington; Akshay Vij; Ali Ardeshiri; Andrew Beer. Show m…
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7888-4609
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web search NEUTRAL — Dr Lynette Washington, College of Business and Law, Adelaide University, Email: lynette.washington@adelaide.edu.au.
https://adelaideuni.edu.au/about/news/2026/australians-are-r…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.