DETERMINANTS OF WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN CENTRAL DIVISION, ISIOLO COUNTY, KENYA
Alice Kairuthi Ikiao - Master of Arts in Project Planning and Management, University of Nairobi, Kenya
Dr. Luketero Wanyonyi - Senior Lecturer, School of Mathematics, University of Nairobi, Kenya
ABSTRACT
Participation of women in building and construction can promote women’s ability to negotiate and influence policy in favour of women’s and possibly children’s needs thus reducing poverty. Without civic education, citizens will not know how they can influence the direction of the changes they would like to see in their localities. Without engagement of women in civic education it is difficult for women to influence other women to participate in building and construction. The main purpose of this study was to establish the determinants of women participation in the construction industry with special reference to Central Division Isiolo County. The study was guided by the following objectives: to establish economic factors, social cultural factors, societal factors, attitude and demographic factors on the participation of women in the building and construction industry in Central Division Isiolo County. The study was grounded on community development theory, role congruity theory, gender and development and agency theory. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population for this study composed the community leaders, project managers, religious leaders and project committee leaders, Garba Tula Sub County. The sample size for the proposed study consists of 172 community leaders, project managers, religious leaders and project committee leaders, Garba Tula Sub County, drawn from the target population. The study selected the respondents using stratified proportionate random sampling technique. Primary data was obtained using self-administered questionnaires. The drop and pick method was preferred for questionnaire administration so as to give respondents enough time to give well thought out responses. After data cleaning which entails checking for errors in entry, descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, mean score and standard deviation was estimated for all the quantitative variables and information presented inform of tables. The qualitative data from the open-ended questions were analyzed using conceptual content analysis and presented in prose. Multiple regressions was used because it is the procedure that uses two or more independent variables to predict a dependent variable. The study found that economic factors, social cultural factors, societal factors, women’s attitude and demographic factors influence women participation in building and construction industry greatly. The study concluded that economic factors had the greatest effect on the participation of women in building and construction industry, followed by societal factors then women’s attitude then social cultural factors while demographic factors had the least effect to the participation of women in building and construction industry. The study recommends that the Government of Kenya should promote women participation in building and construction industry through enacting laws that specifically address women participation in building and construction industry, that the families should continue supporting women initiatives to be part of buildings and construction industry and also respond positively to the women proposal to participate directly or indirectly in the buildings and construction activities and that the local communities should also embrace women’s effort to participate in the in building and construction industry at the community level by giving women a chance to be selected as workers and also building and construction project managers.
