A Gender Analysis of Construction Executive Career Path Progression Using LinkedIn Data

Research shows women's participation in executive teams leads to higher value through different perspective and fresh ideas, improved connections with internal and external stakeholders, greater innovation, and improved financial performance. With only 3.5% executive leadership and 4.9% total senior leadership engineering billets filled by women, underrepresentation in the civil engineering/construction industry deprives firms and their customers of the benefits from a diverse workforce. Using Engineering News Record's (ENR's) 2019 Top 400 list, this study analyzes published LinkedIn profiles for over 3,000 executives to compare impact of positions held, education earned, and networking proclivity on career progression for women and men. Understanding individual and collective career experience provides valuable insight on the skills, abilities, and qualities required to reach the highest levels of the industry. Future generations of leaders can learn and apply these tools, techniques, and tactics in their own growth from the earliest entry level stages to accelerate progression through the ranks.