Is this AEC profession a good fit for me? A Grounded Theory on SparkingProfessional Identity Development in First-Year Architecture, Engineering,and Construction (AEC) Women

AbstractWomen professionals are underrepresented in the architecture, engineering, and construction(AEC) industry. As part of a larger and longitudinal nationwide study that constructs groundedtheories to explain professional identity development (PID) processes in undergraduate AECwomen, the purpose is to examine the lived experiences of first-year AEC women. Usingpurposive sampling, 40 AEC women from five institutions completed surveys with open-endedquestions about salient first year experiences. Also, resumes and academic transcripts wereobtained. Adopting the grounded theory approach and constant comparative analysis, data wasanalyzed using the NVivo Qualitative Analysis software for coding, categorization, and themedevelopment.Data analysis reveals a critical question on the minds of first-year AEC women: Is this AECprofession a good fit for me? Utilizing four categories and twelve subcategories, an emergingtheory, Sparking AEC-PID Through Agency and Networks, highlights the role of interactionsbetween self and structures in forming AEC-PID and influencing women persistence inundergraduate AEC programs. This theory proposes important predictors of AEC-PID and AECpersistence in women. It captures cognitive, emotional, physical, social, and academic processesthat spark AEC-PID in women. Positive interactions between self and AEC programenvironments strengthen AEC-PID because of improvement in AEC knowledge, views,mindsets, and efforts to explore niches for progression in undergraduate AEC programs andtowards AEC professions. However, the lack of gender diversity remains a concern. Also, heavyworkloads and unfavorable program conditions cause stress, particularly in Architecture women.These negative interactions weaken AEC-PID because they result in declining views about theAEC profession. Therefore, women persistence in undergraduate AEC programs requiresdeveloping the ‘survival’ mentality and spurring the super woman mindset. While medium tostrong AEC-PID sustains the desire to persist in many Prevailing women, medium AEC-PID isalso associated with lowered desire to persist as a few Hesitant women become open to othercareers options. Excessively negative interactions erode AEC-PID and the desire to persist, asone Yielding woman plans her AEC program exit. It is critical that undergraduate AEC womenare provided early AEC gateway experiences that assure them that AEC programs andprofessions are a good fit for them. Insights have theoretical and practical implications towardstransformations that will strengthen the attraction, preparation, and retention of the nextgeneration of AEC women. In the long term, this would reduce AEC workforce shortages andfoster the innovation of more gender friendly AEC products and services.