Women engaged in the construction profession have expressed dismay over what they perceive as entrenched gender bias in recruitment and promotion processes for female graduates, resulting in unequal opportunities.
Mrs Aishat Mohammed, Director of the Physical Planning Development Unit at the Federal University of Technology Minna, revealed this during a conference organised by ARE-SURE in Zaria.
She highlighted the disparities faced by women compared to their male counterparts in the construction sector.
The conference, jointly hosted by ABU Zaria and Northumbria University UK, with support from the British Council, served as a platform to address these concerns.
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Mohammed lamented that stereotypes and societal expectations regarding gender roles often discourage women graduates from pursuing non-traditional career paths or assuming leadership roles in construction.
She noted that as primary caregivers in the home, women are sometimes discouraged from venturing into the construction profession.
In response, Mohammed urged women to explore more opportunities in construction-related careers and capitalise on the provisions of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which advocates for gender equality.
Prof. Kulomri-Jipato Adogbo, the convener of the workshop, said its objective of promoting gender equality and encouraging women to practise their professions was based on the fact that despite the potential of many women who study disciplines such as architecture, quantity surveying, and building, a significant number do not practise in their fields.
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