Career progression of female and male managers in the Australian construction industry: a comparative analysis using LinkedIn data

Despite ongoing efforts to promote gender diversity, gender disparities in leadership roles remain in the Australian construction industry. Existing research has identified barriers to women’s career progression in construction using traditional survey or interview methods. To complement these findings and provide a broader perspective on the current state of women’s representation in managerial positions in the Australian construction industry, this study analyzed 12,284 LinkedIn profiles using an exploratory-confirmatory design and compared 10 career features between male and female managers relating to work experience, educational background, and professional network and endorsement. The results revealed that women remain underrepresented in managerial roles, but their distribution across management levels was comparable to men, indicating progress toward gender parity. Women also demonstrated higher educational attainment and greater activity on professional networking platforms. However, gender disparities were observed in job categories, indicating that certain career paths may not be fully accessible to women. Additionally, female managers with more than 15 years of experience reported fewer followers than men, highlighting the need for supporting professional influence in later career stages. This study contributes a quantitative perspective to the understanding of gender disparities and offers practical strategies to advance gender equity in the Australian construction industry.