Tiny bricks, big ideas: promoting women in construction through collaborative and participatory action research in Australia

Abstract

By tackling the issue of women’s underrepresentation in the construction industry, this paper offers valuable insights from the 'Tiny Bricks, Big Ideas: The Sustainable Living Challenge', a Construction Management Workshop designed to encourage high school girls in Australia to consider careers in the construction industry. Using a combination of Collaborative Action Research (CAR) and Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodologies, this paper presents a new methodology adopted by the University academic and professional staff, to uplift construction management discipline among high school students. Simultaneously, it contributed to empowering students to challenge gender stereotypes and to imagine themselves as future contributors to sustainable construction practices. The results demonstrate how action research can lead to transformational changes in social attitudes, time management, collaboration, knowledge, and practices, highlighting its potential as a tool for promoting women in construction diversity and presence in the Australian construction industry.