Male and female mental health differences in built environment undergraduates

The construction industry faces skills shortages and growing mental health issues which have stimulated a research focus on the underrepresentation of female employees and on its tough macho-culture and stressful working conditions. Evidence of sex differences in construction workers’ mental health is starting to emerge, with women and younger workers experiencing the greatest levels of distress. This study takes an upstream perspective on construction human resources to explore sex differences in mental health and resilience in the early career pipeline of emerging built environment (BE) professionals. A survey of 384 BE undergraduates was conducted using the DASS-21 measure of mental health and the Resilience at University scale to explore the psychological adjustment of first and final year student cohorts. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and regression. Compared to first year students, female students’ mental health appeared to have deteriorated across the four-year degree, whereas, male students’ overall mental health improved. The results suggest that the construction classroom may be operating as a microcosm of the cultural environment faced by women in society in general and in the construction industry with its macho culture filtering back into the university sector. These findings suggest the need for greater attention to sex and gender differences in mental health. It is recommended that construction educators and employers partner together to proactively affect culture change by addressing gender bias early, by consciously creating a female-friendly, inclusive culture which emphasises a sense of belonging, and by providing gender-appropriate support systems and resilience training for emerging construction professionals.