GLASS CEILING PHENOMENON IN THE INDONESIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY: WHO COULD IMPEDE WOMEN FROM BECOMING LEADERS?

Abstract

Studying professional women in the construction industry is always intriguing due to the juxtaposition of women in a male-dominated field. Furthermore, studying Indonesian women, who have been conditioned to be submissive wives, alongside the discourse of women's empowerment to assume leadership roles, adds complexity to the study. This research introduces additional intricacies as it focuses on revealing the career barriers faced by professional women in the Indonesian construction industry. Despite these barriers, the professional women often remain unaware of the obstacles impeding their dreams of leadership in this male-dominated and patriarchal context. Thus, this research aims to uncover the glass ceiling phenomena in the Indonesian construction industry, exploring both the significant factors that may lead women to depart from the construction sector and those that empower professional women to assume leadership positions. Employing a qualitative research approach, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 professional women in the Indonesian construction industry, analyzing the outcomes through thematic analysis techniques. A notable finding underscores the willingness to share familial responsibilities between spouses as the paramount factor enabling professional women to overcome the glass ceiling phenomenon in the Indonesian construction industry. This revelation is grounded in the inherent satisfaction women derive from tending to their families, even at the expense of their professional aspirations. In a patriarchal familial structure, the rarity of husbands assuming shared family care responsibilities accentuates the significance of this factor. Substantiating this point, all female top management participants in the study acknowledged the crucial role of unwavering support from their husbands in their professional journeys. Thus, the identification of spousal support emerges as a pivotal consideration for women aiming to participate in the construction industry. This revelation holds significant potential for providing valuable insights, especially for daughters with aspirations to perpetuate their family business.