Sudnya Mahimkar and Seema Shah
Tekton
Volume 7, Issue 1, March 2020
pp. 34 – 45
Sudnya Mahimkar is Principal of MES Pillai College of Architecture, New Panvel. She acquired her PhD in Architecture from Pune University on the subject of “Gender Appropriate Outdoor Public Leisure Spaces: Case of Mumbai”. Her research areas are Gender and Spatial Design, Architecture, Urban Design and Social Sciences and has published research papers in various international and national journals and in conference publications. She has been invited at various national conferences and workshops as an expert speaker. She is a member, Board of Studies in Pune University.
drsudnyamahimkar@gmail.com
Seema Shah is an Associate Professor at Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Architecture, Navi Mumbai. She holds Bachelors in Architecture and Masters in construction project management. She has carried out various architectural and interior projects in Mumbai and Delhi.
seemasadhushah@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Indian construction industry is emerging as the second largest industry growing at a rapid pace and a great job generator. However, this industry witnesses least women participation, particularly at the higher levels in the job ladder. Large numbers of women work at bottom level of unskilled workers experiencing various issues and are denied access to the basic infrastructure and amenities. This study attempts to explore women’s participation in terms of various gender gaps – gap in skilled and unskilled labour, pay gap, glass ceiling and access to amenities, through field surveys in Mumbai to understand women’s perceptions and opinions – 1. Structured questionnaire floated across 30 real estate organizations 2. Semi-structured interviews conducted of 60 female professionals. The findings led this study to suggest policy level approach that can be followed by the employers and policy makers to improve women’s participation and deconstruct the current gender norms contributing to women empowerment.
KEY WORDS
Construction Industry, Gender Gap, Glass Ceiling
