Sense of Belonging of US Construction Students

The segmentation, diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in the construction industry are chronically exacerbated the lack of female participation. However, there has recently been a promising increase in the diverse workforce of the industry. As a primary pipeline, construction management programs must reinforce their recruitment and retention efforts with an enhanced comprehension of students' belongingness. This study provides an overview of the sense of belonging of male and female students to the construction discipline and identifies factors contributing particularly to female students' sense of belonging. The undergraduate students of three construction management programs in the United States participated in an online survey and the results were analyzed with statistical methods. The results revealed that female students seem to feel less belonging to the industry than male students, albeit this difference was not statistically significant. Moreover, instructors and future prospects in the industry have a significant impact on students' sense of belonging and females were significantly more likely to perceive gender discrimination in the industry, even though these differences change per gender and institution type. Providing important highlights, this study contributes by identifying key factors to be utilized in the recruitment and retention of the next generation in the construction industry.