Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
3-2022
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7093-9716
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Christie Bledsoe
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Scott Self
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
John Kellmayer I
Abstract
Abstract
Women may perceive barriers when considering educational and career options in predominately male-dominated STEM-focused (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs and settings. This qualitative, phenomenological study, emphasizing the social cognitive career theory, explored women’s perceptions that influenced the decision-making process to pursue nontraditional educational paths and careers in career and technical education fields such as architecture and construction while considering gender-associated challenges, culture and racial-ethnicity, and career and technical education stigma. Six adult female participants (three students and three leaders) responded to semistructured questions within a focus group and one-on-one interviews via telephone conferencing. A thematic analysis process using in vivo coding and Dedoose assisted in revealing 13 themes. A predominant finding included that building trades programs and careers were not seen as viable options for women. What women perceive as barriers may assist career and technical education leaders in devising strategies to increase female student enrollment in their architecture and construction programs, preparing women for careers in the building trades. A collaborative effort approach was recommended between career and technical education, businesses, companies, organizations, and other educational entities to produce a “one-stop-shop” digital platform highlighting educational programs and career opportunities within the building trades.
Keywords: architecture and construction programs, career and technical education, STEM, adult women in the building trades, female underrepresentation in predominately male settings, shortage of skilled trades workers, educational and career decision-making, barriers, challenges, perceptions, phenomenology, social cognitive career theory
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Clayton, Ethel J., "The Underrepresentation of Women in Building Trades Programs and Careers: Perceptions Behind the Educational and Career Decision-Making Process" (2022). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 437.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/437
Included in
Adult and Continuing Education Commons, Construction Engineering Commons, Other Architecture Commons, Vocational Education Commons