Investigating the Women's Challenges in the Construction Project in Banda Aceh, Indonesia: A Thematic Analysis
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The construction project remains male-dominated, and women engineers continue to face structural, cultural, and organizational challenges. Despite increasing women's participation in engineering education, their representation and career advancement in construction remain limited, particularly in developing regions such as Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Existing studies have largely focused on general barriers to women’s participation, with limited attention to context-specific and experiential insights of women engineers. Therefore, this study analyzes the challenges faced by women engineers on construction projects in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. This research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data from structured questionnaires with qualitative insights from open-ended responses. A total of 149 respondents were purposively selected from three universities. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were examined using thematic analysis assisted by NVivo 14. The findings reveal that the most significant challenges include perceived physical limitations, lack of training and practical guidance, work–life balance issues, low recruitment of women workers, and mismatches between education and job roles. Thematic analysis further confirms that structural and capacity-related barriers are the most dominant, followed by socio-cultural norms and organizational constraints. Issues such as discrimination and wage gaps were reported at lower levels but remain relevant. This study concludes that women engineers face multidimensional challenges shaped by both structural and socio-cultural factors. Policy implications include the need for inclusive recruitment practices, targeted training programs, flexible work policies, and increased visibility of women role models. However, the study is limited to a specific regional context and to early-career respondents, suggesting the need for broader, longitudinal research in future studies.
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