En kvalitativ studie om män och kvinnors ledarskap inom bygg- och anläggningsbranschen

Sammanfattning: The construction and civil engineering industry has long been male-dominated, but in recent times, the gender gap has decreased and an increase in female leaders has been observed. The gender distribution is common in the industry raises questions about leadership and emphasizes the importance of conducting studies that explore the differences between men's and women's leadership. It is crucial to understand how gender can influence leadership and identify factors that contribute to an inclusive work environment. By studying previous research and analyzing these differences, the study provides deeper insights into the traits and styles that men and women can bring to leadership roles. The aim of this thesis is to investigate women's and men's leadership within the construction and civil engineering industry based on three leadership theories: transactional, transformative, and situational leadership. Specifically, the study is based on the respondents' own perceptions of their leadership. Additionally, we examine whether gender influences the choice of leadership style. The study adopts a qualitative nature with a phenomenological approach to capture individuals' perceptions. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather the primary data of the study. The collected material underwent a seven-step analysis process to identify the study's themes, which were subsequently analyzed. The study's conclusion is that there were elements of both transformative and transactional leadership, but the majority of both men and women employed a situational leadership approach. The study found few differences between women and men in their leadership styles but did highlight factors that affect the attractiveness of the industry.