Female participation in the Australian Construction Industry has been one of the main barriers the industry has worked towards resolving in the last few years. As a result, the construction industry has seen a positive change with growth of female participation rising each year. Although the industry is gearing towards a positive change, companies have not thought about what happens to women after their introduction to the profession. 

This study examines the main barriers that cause women to leave the construction industry and assesses the effectiveness of current initiatives and proposes strategies to overcome the ongoing issue to low retention of women in the Australian constriction industry. Results highlighted the most prominent barriers are inflexible work practices affecting family work-life balance, slow career progression and discrimination in the form of unconscious/conscious bias. 

The study further revealed women leave due to excessive working hours and a lack of work-life balance which ultimately forces women to quit their jobs or choose between work and a family as women are made to feel that their job security and progression would diminish when trying to combine work and a family. Additionally, slow career development and lack of career development opportunities available to women was mainly caused by lack of visibility in the business, maternity leave and not being able to adequately maintain a healthy family work balance due to inflexible practices. Lastly, discrimination in the form of conscious/unconscious bias was caused through the exclusionary nature of the industry, comments from male colleagues and undermining their decision making which has ultimately led to the marginalisation and underrepresentation of women in construction. Construction companies must implement effective, long-term strategies to eradicate the barriers. 

This study aimed to highlight the most prominent barriers and provide strategies to make a change and help women in the industry. By introducing innovative programs and enhancing existing initiatives, construction companies can create a supportive environment that enables women to harness their full potential and inspire future generations to continue making progress in this area.