Blueprints of change: how women entrepreneurs are reinventing construction

Abstract

This research aimed to examine the role of women entrepreneurs in the construction industry in Ghana using a concurrent mixed-methods approach. Despite as much as there has been increasing female participation in this traditionally male-dominated sector, little research exists on their contribution, particularly in developing countries. The study involved a qualitative strand comprising semi-structured interviews with 10 women construction entrepreneurs, and a quantitative survey with 32 women entrepreneurs drawn from various sectors of the industry. Audio tapes of the interviews were transcribed and thematically analyzed with MAXQDA (2020), while quantitative data were analyzed with the Relative Importance Index and one-sample t-tests. The findings illustrate that women entrepreneurs make contributions to the sector through gender-inclusive leadership, improved workplace cultures, and gender stereotype challenging. However, gender prejudice challenges, work-family balance issues, and project realization delays still exist. The study recommends targeted policy interventions, capacity-building initiatives, and institutional support to enhance women's involvement and leadership in the construction sector. The conclusions offer actionable lessons to policymakers, stakeholders in the industry, and researchers interested in inclusive development, particularly in contexts such as Ghana. The study contributes to the growing scholarship on gender and entrepreneurship in the Global South.