Breaking Barriers: The Gender Gap in the Real Estate and Construction Industries
While there have been improvements in attitudes towards women in the built environment sector, concerns about gender bias, pay disparities, and limited advancement opportunities persist. Despite efforts to recruit more women, the real estate industry remains one of the most gender-segregated industries globally.
Nigeria ranks 123rd out of 146 nations in the World Gender Gap Study, with a 63.9% gender gap. Women face challenges in fields like surveying and construction, where they are underrepresented. Initiatives to promote gender equity, like mentorship programs, aim to empower women in these male-dominated industries.
Experts emphasize the need for an inclusive environment to promote gender equality. With efforts to close the gender gap slowly progressing, there is hope that women in real estate and construction will continue to break barriers, drive change, and shape the future of these industries.
Despite facing unique challenges related to societal expectations and biases, women in the sector are proving their capabilities and resilience. Achieving gender equality in real estate will require deliberate policy shifts, mentorship programs, and a shift in societal norms towards valuing competence over gender.