The effect of Gender on employability in Roads Construction in Malawi

Abstract

The construction industry is an integral part of the development process in Malawi as it seeks to reduce poverty through infrastructure development. Roads construction is one of the major activities in infrastructure development. Large magnitude of works involved in road projects demand a lot of machinery and man power hence roads construction creates noticeable job opportunities which are seized by both male and female genders, skilled and unskilled. There has been a rise in road construction projects in Malawi over the past ten years. It is therefore anticipated that an increase in investment in the roads infrastructure and also increases in the number of road projects in Malawi would consequently be associated with an increase in employment opportunities in roads construction. However, it is not known whether increased employment opportunities are proportionally offered and seized between different gender groups. This study therefore aimed to establish whether gender influences employability in roads construction in Malawi. The study determined and categorised job positions and attributes for hypothetical prospective employees for roads construction sector in Malawi. Thereafter “Traditional Conjoint Analysis” was employed to determine the attributes which influence employability more than others. Qualification, Salary, Experience, Gender and Age were the five attributes used in the study. Eighty (80) respondents in employment decision making positions completed two (2) copies of the study questionnaire each. Results show that the influence of gender on employability in Roads Construction in Malawi is relatively inconsiderable. Employers do not exhibit a substantial preference of one group of gender over the other during recruitment. The results of the study further indicate that employers’ decisions in the roads construction sector are mainly being influenced by job applicants’ work experience and anticipated remuneration package of the applicants. Furthermore, even when age and qualification attributes were excluded from the analysis, the influence of gender on employability of all job categories remained relatively inconsiderable. Therefore, the study concludes that gender does not substantially affect employability in the Road Construction sector in Malawi. The study therefore recommends that women must be encouraged to enrol for non-traditional programmes such as Civil Engineering and other Construction related programmes in order to join the industry. Further, the study recommends that employers take a deliberate move to recognise higher qualifications during recruitment process to encourage first degree holders to pursue further education in order to attain higher managerial skills.