As a multidisciplinary faculty, The Graduate School Hasanuddin University organized a guest lecture on the cross-discipline topic of gender and engineering under the heading “Gender Equality Issues: Income and Wealth Inequality in the Construction Industry.” On Tuesday, November 22, 2022, the lecture took place offline in the Prof Fachruddin Lecture Theatre. For those who couldn’t attend in person, the lecture was live-streamed on Youtube. Dr. Toong Khuan Chan from the University of Melbourne, Prof. Dr. Ir. Krishna Suryanto from the Bandung Institute of Technology, and Prof. Ir. Baharuddin Hamzah from Hasanuddin University made up the lecturing panel. Evi Aprianti, S.T., Ph.D. moderated the discussion (Lecturer at The Graduate School).
The event was preceded by speeches from the Dean of Graduate School, Hasanuddin University (Prof. dr. Budu, M.Med.Ed., Sp.M(K)., Ph.D.) and Vice-Rector of Partnerships, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Business (Prof. Dr.Eng. Adi Maulana, S.T., M.Phil.). About 110 people attended the lecture, with students and lecturers making up the majority of the audience.
The first panel, Dr. Toong Khuan Chan, explored some of the challenges faced by young women joining the transportation construction sector and identified opportunities to attract and retain women. He later discussed the challenges that women face in their careers while in employment. Prof Krishna extended the discussion by providing a case study in Jabodetabek on the factors that attract or deter young women from participating in the construction sector. Prof. Baharuddin discussed the application of current codes and the idea of green buildings; he explored the contribution of green buildings to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The panel and audience all expressed hope for further advancement in gender equality and agreed that all stakeholders in the construction industry needed to be involved in order to advance the agenda. The lecture concluded on a very positive note.