Examining Interactions between Creativity and Professional Identity Development in Undergraduate Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Women

Increasing women’s participation in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry would reduce prevailing workforce shortages. However, their participation remains low due to the masculine and male-dominated nature of this industry. Scholars indicate that understanding professional identity development (PID) in students informs interventions that strengthen transitions into the workforce. In the AEC context, creativity was found to advance AEC-PID in undergraduate women. However, little is empirically known of the nuanced aspects of creativity that fostered AEC-PID. The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the salient creative self-attributes (CSAs) that interact with AEC-PID in undergraduate women. This study involved four rounds of interviews with undergraduate AEC women (N=41) from five U.S. institutions. Reflexive thematic analysis was utilized to generate codes and themes from interview transcripts. We found that four realistic CSAs (cognizant observation, kinesthetic generation, essentiality values, and interdependent perseverance) aligned with the realistic creative attributes of AEC professions to foster the development of AEC-relevant creative knowledge and understanding, competencies, fulfillment, and sense of belonging. Our findings inform future investigations and interventions to advance AEC-PID through a deeper understanding of CSAs in undergraduate women. In the long term, insights can increase women’s participation and reduce AEC workforce shortages.