Abstract
The Australian Construction Industry (ACI) is a massive contributor to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and consequently is also a recruiter of a massive workforce in the country (Australian Building and Construction Commission, 2021). The industry gained further popularity since it was considered an 'essential service' allowed to operate par usual even through the COVID-19 pandemic (McBurney, 2021). However, the state of New South Wales (NSW) has noticed a significant gap in the number of female participants as compared to male in the industry (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020). This study sets out to explore the benefits of female participation in the industry and the challenges that women face in it today, including but not limited to the attitudes of other genders towards women in the industry, which makes the industry seem unattractive to them. Furthermore, it explores the characteristics of industry leaders and the steps that they could take to attract and retain more women in the industry. Additionally, it can be understood that continuous development and innovations are important to the success of any company, and therefore, this study also studies the characteristics of leaders that would help promote intrapreneurial opportunities in the companies. To seek answers to these queries, this study employs the use of qualitative research in the form of data collection through semi-structured interviews followed by data analysis using the generation of themes. The findings suggest that servant leaders tend to provide maximum support and consideration for female participation and innovative solutions in the industry today. Lastly, the impact of COVID-19 on the industry workers and leaders were studied.