Women's participation in construction sector is much lower in comparison with their participation in other sectors due to the unwillingness of employers, said speakers at a roundtable yesterday.

The employers are reluctant to hire female engineers or architects as they doubt the women's capability, they said. But women have the same qualification like men, they added.   

They made the remarks at the roundtable organised by Prothom Alo in association with Seven Rings Cement Ltd at the newspaper's office in the capital.

Male colleagues cannot accept lead position of female counterparts, which also contributed to the lower percentage of woman participation in the sector, the speakers observed.

They stressed that employers and male colleagues change their mindset towards woman counterparts.

Zebun Nasreen Ahmed, professor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), said every year many female students graduate from civil engineering and architecture departments across the country, but few of them land jobs at construction firms. If the women are given opportunity to work in the construction sector, they will succeed and at the same time the industry will thrive, she said.

Speaking as the chief guest, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki said people's mindset towards women has been changing day by day. She also urged the employers to ensure safe working environment for women, and sought cooperation from men.

Rahat Muslimin, an executive engineer of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha; Naim Ahmed Khan, former additional secretary at the Ministry of Railways; Abdul Quayum, associate editor of Prothom Alo; Ekram Ahmed, former chairman of Bangladesh Public Service Commission; and Tahmina Ahmed, director of Seven Rings Cement Ltd,  also spoke.