[비즈한국] The construction industry is a representative male-dominated field. The proportion of female employment is significantly lower than in other industries. According to a 2019 study by the Korea Economic Research Institute on the employee status of 519 non-financial listed companies from the previous year, the proportion of female employees in the construction sector (32 companies) was 9%, the lowest among 12 industries. In the previous year's survey, the construction industry was also identified as the sector with the highest proportion of male employees.
How many female employees were there in the construction industry last year? Based on business reports, BizHankook analyzed the status of female employees at the top 10 construction companies by construction capability assessment at the end of last year. While all divisions were included when calculating the number of female executives for each company, only the construction divisions were reflected for Samsung C&T028260 and Daelim Industrial when counting the number of employees. Daelim Industrial, which previously operated construction and petrochemical businesses, re-launched this year by splitting into a holding company, DL, and a construction firm, DLE&C.
7.6% (2,698) of Regular Employees at Top 10 Construction Firms are Female; POSCO ↓, SK ↑
Last year, there were 2,698 regular female employees working at the top 10 construction companies, accounting for 7.6% of the 35,672 total regular employees. The proportion of regular female employees was lowest at POSCO E&C at 5.2% (191) and highest at SK Construction at 11.7% (439). Although SK Construction ranked sixth among the top 10 firms with a total of 3,742 regular employees, it had the highest number of regular female employees at 439.
The proportion of regular female employees at the top 10 construction companies are as follows: POSCO E&C 5.2% (191), Hyundai E&C000720 5.7% (241), Hyundai Engineering 6.1% (264), GS E&C 6.7% (316), Daelim Industrial (Construction Division) 6.8% (227), HDC Hyundai Development Company 7.2% (70), Daewoo E&C 8.6% (327), Lotte E&C 8.8% (212), Samsung C&T (Construction Division) 9.1% (411), and SK Construction 11.7% (439).
An official from SK Construction stated, "While we do not implement a female quota due to issues such as reverse discrimination, we are paying close attention to providing equal employment opportunities in terms of strengthening ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management. We are also actively implementing pro-female policies for our female staff."
13 Female Executives (1.9%) at Top 10 Construction Firms; 6 Companies Have No Female Executives
Last year, only four of the top 10 construction firms had female executives. Women occupied 13 out of 671 executive positions (1.9%) across the top 10 companies. The proportion of female executives was 5% (8) at Samsung C&T, 2.8% (3) at Daelim Industrial, 1.8% (1) at Hyundai Engineering, and 1.7% (1) at SK Construction.
Women who rose to executive positions at the top 10 firms include Janice Lee, Outside Director at Samsung C&T (60), and Ji So-young, Managing Director of the Construction Procurement Office (50); Lee Jung-eun, Head of Housing Business Headquarters at Daelim Industrial (43), Kim Yoon-jeon, Executive (41), and Park Seung-mi, Executive (43); Kim Won-ok, Head of Chemical Plant Business Support Office at Hyundai Engineering (60); and Lee Hyun-kyung, Head of Contract Group 3 at SK Construction (57). The remaining 6 female executives at Samsung C&T are non-registered executives in charge of non-construction divisions.
Among the top 10 firms, six had only male executives: Hyundai E&C (75 total executives), GS E&C (51), POSCO E&C (27), Daewoo E&C (47), Lotte E&C (68), and HDC Hyundai Development Company (19). Hyundai E&C and GS E&C appointed Jo Hye-kyung, a professor at Hansung University's College of IT Convergence, and Jo Hee-jin, Representative Attorney at Dambak Law Firm, as female outside directors, respectively, at their regular shareholders' meetings last March.
Kim Min-hyung, a senior researcher at the Construction & Economy Research Institute of Korea, pointed out, "The construction industry has traditionally been considered a male-dominated field. However, with the development of information and communication technology, the characteristics and production methods of the construction industry have changed, and as women's participation in society becomes more active, perspectives on women in the construction industry are also shifting." He added, "To increase the number of female employees in construction firms, we must refine systems so that the female employment promotion policies suggested by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act are implemented in the construction industry, and we must provide education and awareness training so that construction sites can break away from male-centered construction culture."