A changing demographic – profiling Female quantity surveyors in South Africa

Abstract

The growth and prosperity of a profession such as the discipline of quantity surveyors in South Africa are often linked to accurate self-knowledge and integrating that knowledge into future strategies and planning. When the make-up of such a professional discipline is stable, this management process is relatively simple and can rely on previous and existing self-knowledge. However, a young democracy and developing country like South Africa often presents additional challenges. Strategies that rely on knowledge of what the compo-sition of the profession was 5 to 10 years ago may be found wanting today. Successful progress and effective succession planning will require professional disciplines and organ-isations serving these professions to keep up to date with changes in the environment, including the make-up or composition of the profession. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many industries and professions alike. However, the pandemic also provided the need for self-reflection and the time and space to perform such contemplation. The South African Association of Quantity Surveyors (ASAQS), assisted by the University of Pretoria, analysed the profile of its members dur-ing this period through a comprehensive questionnaire. A total of 626 valid responses were received from respondents, representing approximately 14% of registered QS's in South Africa.The data from these questionnaires indicate that significant changes are occurring in the profile of the ASAQS membership. These changes are apparent in the age and racial make-up of the current membership. The study also finds the gender of ASAQS members to be an important profiling attribute to describe the changing face of South African quan-tity surveyors. The South African quantity surveying profession of the past consisted mostly of male members of European descent. This study will describe the growing num-ber of female quantity surveyors in South Africa by referring to their age, race, locational spread, academic qualifications, nationality, registration status with the Council of South African Quantity Surveyors, and length of the current employment term. This analysis will provide a reasonably detailed description of the female quantity surveyors in South Afri-ca.The above information will be of value to the Association of South African Quantity Surveyors, the management of quantity surveying firms and institutions such as universi-ties that offer accredited academic programmes to train quantity surveyors. The findings can also be shared with quantity surveying organisations across international borders to compare against their membership profiles.

Keywords: Female, Profiling, Quantity Surveyors, South Africa

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1003730