WOBO Governor David Gibson was pleased to receive a link to the article by Eziaku Onyeizu Rasheed within the International Journal of Construction Education and Research. She was happy to share her latest publication reflecting her commitment. It focuses on young women’s interest in construction-related careers and limitations to gender equality and inclusivity in the construction industry.
She thanks the Massey University Research Fund (MURF) for making the study possible.
The Impact of External and Internal Sources of Motivation on Young Women’s Interest in Construction-Related Careers: An Exploratory Study
Eziaku Onyeizu Rasheed , Jing Yu , Sarah Hale & Natalie Booth
In this paper, we explored the influence of sources of motivation on young women’s career choice in secondary schools in New Zealand and their interest in construction-related careers. We employed internal sources of motivation – Maslow’s hierarchy of needs; and external sources of motivations – individual in close association with young women and social media to achieve this aim.
These factors were supported by past research in career choice and the construction industry. A questionnaire survey was carried out on young women in a secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand and statistical analysis using ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation was used to ascertain correlations and their level of significance. We found that mothers and self-actualization needs were the most important external and internal sources of motivation for young women to make a career choice.
Concerning the construction-related careers investigated, we found that the perception of their friends, information circulated on social media and being safe (Security needs) influenced the young women’s interest in pursuing a quantity surveying career. On the other hand, the desire to be socially accepted (Social needs) deterred young women from choosing construction management as a future career. The result of this study showed that young women’s perception of construction-related careers depends on the career itself. It suggests that there may be careers that will be perceived positively by young women and therefore, should be explored.
The results of this study are essential as they provide insights into a current issue for the construction industry. Recruitment programmes targetted on these sources of motivation are recommended to increase the interest of young women on construction-related careers.