The role of HRM in supporting the career advancement of early-career professional women in construction: a conceptual model

Purpose Increasing skills shortages have forced the construction industry to encourage more women to pursue construction careers. However, as observed across other male-dominated industries, the industry continues to experience a lack of women advancing in their careers. This article aims to (1) review the extant literature on the barriers and enablers of women's career advancement in construction with the purpose of (2) developing a conceptual model for the role of human resource management (HRM) in facilitating women's career advancement. In this way, we seek to contribute a conceptual model to inform HRM practice and theory concerning the advancement of women in male-dominated industries. Design/methodology/approach Our conceptual article comprised a review of extant studies on the career advancement needs of women within the construction industry. We also considered extant career models, and we leveraged the kaleidoscope career model, using it as a model to explain women's career needs within the construction context. Findings Using the construction industry as a male-dominated industry example, our literature review highlighted the gendered differences in women's construction career advancement and career needs. Early-career women experience direct discrimination, bias in career progression, conflicting pressures pertaining to an industry failing to cater to their caregiving roles and reduced social capital. They also experience more job stress, anxiety, bullying, and sexual harassment relative to men, all of which impact their career advancement and longevity in the industry. Originality/value We identified an important gap in research on solutions for how women's career needs in male-dominated industries can be better met. Informed by the kaleidoscope career model and a stakeholder-based approach to HRM, we developed a conceptual model to guide HRM scholars and professionals to better support women's career advancement in construction. Our model integrates three streams of literature (the careers literature, HRM literature and construction literature) to highlight the factors impacting women's needs pertaining to their career advancement in construction. We suggest that this model may also have implications for the advancement of women in other male-dominated fields.