Just coping: Australian female project managers' perception of stress

The work of the traditionally male-dominated area of construction projectmanagement is best summarised in three words: time, money and quality. Thedelivery of projects on time, to budget, and within quality guidelines is theoverriding concern of all project managers. The delivery of multi-million dollarprojects creates signifi cant stress on all involved in the project, and in particularthe senior project manager. The issues relating to project management andworkplace stress have been well documented, but there has been little insightinto how senior female project managers perceive and react to the stress ofmanaging projects. This paper draws upon a small Australian study investigatinghow 12 senior female project managers feel about the stress involved in projectmanagement work delivery. The fi ndings provide an interesting insight into theperceptions of these women and their stress-coping techniques. The effect ofproject delivery stress on the private and family lives of some of the women inthe study is also noted. The study fi ndings suggest long-term implications for thephysical and emotional health of these and other senior female project managers,raising questions about project management as an attractive career for women.The paper briefl y canvasses potential avenues for further research on seniorfemale project managers.