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Abstract
Construction is one of the most gender‐segregated sectors of the UK economy; men constitute over 99 per cent of the employees in the building trades. This article focuses on the role of discourse in reflecting and reproducing the absence of women in the construction trades. A small excerpt from an industry report is described, interpreted and explained using critical discourse analysis. The analysis takes as its starting point one phrase, ‘most jobs in the construction industry can be done by women’ and places it in its structural, institutional and historic context, showing its dependence on presuppositions about women's abilities, and the ideological basis of those assumptions. Male construction workers' masculine identity is defined in relation to their ‘tough’ job. The culture of taking safety risks, and working long hours in primitive working conditions suits some employers very well. The report's assertion that women can do ‘most jobs’ in construction appears to challenge the dominant ideology but it actually reproduces it, helping to maintain gender segregation. Thus it contributes in a small way to sustaining existing power relations by containing potentially transformative movements.
... Recent studies have also recognized that the health burden associated with absent or poor sanitation facilities falls disproportionately on women (Winter and Barchi, 2016). Ness (2012); Thenguzhali and Veerachamy (2015) and Wong et al., (2020) argue that many of the problems that female construction workers face, are made more severe than in other industries by the construction industry's temporary, dynamic, and decentralized nature. Temporary There is not enough research on gender sensitive health and safety in construction, especially from the local context of South Africa. ...
... Relevant literature for this study was only sourced from journals and conference papers, as these are considered more reliable sources of literature review and provide detailed information compared to other sources (Mariam et al., 2021). This literature covered: Construction science and technology, Occupational health and safety, Women in construction, Given its temporary, dynamic, and decentralized nature, the high number of fatal and nonfatal occupational injuries and work-at-heights, outdoor operations and complicated on-site plants, construction is one of the most hazardous and accident-prone activities (Ness, 2012;Thenguzhali and Veerachamy, 2015;Wong et al., 2020). At a worldwide level, the probability of a fatality and that of an injury in the construction industry are three times and two times more likely than the average in all other industrial sectors, respectively (Wong et al., 2020). ...
... The second largest cluster is blue, with eighteen documents. Ness (2012) [46], Dainty and Lingard (2006) [49], and Navarro-Astor et al. (2017) [60] were the three most cited documents in this cluster. Similarly, Worrall et al. (2010) [61] in the third cluster, Bryce et al. (2019) [62] in the fourth cluster, Blackburn et al. (2002) [63] in the fifth cluster, and Morello et al. (2018) [27] in the sixth cluster were the other most cited references. ...
... The second largest cluster is blue, with eighteen documents. Ness (2012)[46],Dainty and Lingard (2006) [49], and Navarro-Astor et al.(2017) [60] were the three most cited documents in this cluster. Similarly, Worrall et al. (2010) [61] in the third cluster, Bryce et al. (2019) [62] in the fourth cluster, Blackburn et al. (2002) [63] in the fifth cluster, and Morello et al. (2018) ...
The significance of a diverse workforce in organizations has been increasingly recognized over the past two decades due to its substantial impact on both organizational and employee performance. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of research articles on workforce diversity in the construction sector using the Scopus and Web of Science databases. A total of 197 articles were included in the review, revealing a marked increase in research on diversity in the construction industry, with 147 articles published between 2011–2023 compared to 50 articles between 2000–2010. The University of New South Wales emerged as the most productive institution with eleven articles, followed by Loughborough University with eight articles and Universidad De Sevilla with seven articles. This study found that 459 authors contributed to the production of 197 articles. This study underscores the critical importance of diversity in the construction sector and calls for further research to devise effective diversity management strategies. It contributes to the literature by being the first bibliometric review of its kind in this sector, offering valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and industry practitioners. It enhances our understanding of the existing literature and helps identify potential avenues for future research. This original contribution to the field is expected to stimulate further scholarly discourse and practical advancements in managing workforce diversity in the construction industry.
... The UK has published two articles, and the other countries with one publication each. One article had no specific country of publication (Ness, 2012). Notably, research is absent in Asia, New Zealand, and Eastern Europe. ...
... Ettinger et al. (2019),Kamardeen and Sunindijo (2017),Morello et al. (2018),Ness (2012),Regis et al. (2019),Sunindijo and Kamardeen (2017),Tapia et al. (2020),Worrall et al. (2010) Wage gapWomen are paid less than men for the same job, or have to work harder than men to receive equal payAfolabi et al. (2019), Barreto et al. (2017), Ettinger et al. (2019), Kamardeen and Sunindijo (2017), Tapia et al. (2020) Promotions withheld Lack of promotion from only working part-time or taking maternity leave Bryce et al. (2019), Worrall et al. (2010) Glass ceiling Fewer opportunities for women, gendered promotion biases Afolabi et al. (2019), Barreto et al. (2017), Bryce et al. (2019), Ettinger et al. (2019), Fouad et al. (2011), Kamardeen and Sunindijo (2017), Nyanga and Chindanya (2020), Oo et al. (2020), Regis et al. (2019), Servon and Visser (2011), Tapia et al. (2020), Worrall et al. (2010) Stereotyping Gender-based assumptions are made around work and resources Afolabi et al. (2019), Bryce et al. (2019), Fouad et al. (2011), Galea et al. (2021), Hatmaker (2013), Regis et al. (2019), Rosa et al. (2017), Tapia et al. (2020) Uniforms or protective equipment not gender inclusive Afolabi et al. (2019), Regis et al. (2019), Tapia et al. (2020) Presumed incompetency Women are assumed to be less competent than men Afolabi et al. (2019), Ettinger et al. (2019), Hatmaker (2013), Servon and Visser (2011), Tapia et al. (2020), Worrall et al. (2010) Pressure to prove oneself ...
Globally, the construction industry presents a cause of concern for the wellbeing of its workforce. Mental health issues in the industry are on the rise, and literature trends are beginning to recognize this. However, women have been widely neglected from such literature. Thus, this paper aims to identify future research directions on the mental health of women in construction through a review of current related publications. The mental health review is approached from three lenses: challenges, consequences, and wellbeing outcomes. A total of 27 peer-reviewed English-language articles published from 2010 onwards are analysed and cross-examined. In each mental health study, the ‘challenges’, ‘workplace consequences’, and ‘wellbeing outcomes’ experienced by women in construction are highlighted. Within these three categories, 58 concerns are identified. The review reveals that the proportion of issues faced by on-site professionals is significantly larger than that of other construction occupations. Furthermore, the categories ‘workplace consequences’ and ‘wellbeing outcomes’ lack research compared with ‘challenges’. Lastly, there is little evidence of cause-and-effect analysis between the challenges, consequences, and wellbeing of women in construction to uncover systems-based connections between these concerns. The paper provides an insight into these issues that will inform future research investigations and quantifications.
... The discussion of women in construction has been explored by analysing women's position in multiple roles and occupations. Examples of research into exploration of women's roles in the industry include senior female managers in small construction firms (Lu and Sexton 2010); women in managerial and employee levels in construction organisations (Watts 2012); women in construction education (Richard et al., 2018); women apprentices in construction (Struthers and Strachan 2019); women in construction occupations studies including engineering (Cadaret et al., 2017), women in electrical construction roles (Perrenoud et al., 2020); women quantity surveyors (Greed 1991); women in architecture (Matthewson 2015); and women in the construction trades (Ness 2012;Regis et al., 2019). This approach to exploring the experience of women has mostly focused on their position as employees in the construction industry and in the challenges that these women face in these roles. ...
... Most social constructionist studies apply specific social constructs that delineate the positioning of their exploration. The exploration of the experience of women in construction is often based on the understanding that women's socialisation is different, and due to this, they have different experiences that deserve to be analysed separately (Francis 2017;Gurjao 2006;Ness 2012). The three concepts considered to be of particular importance in this research are career, leadership and women's enterprises. ...
Studies on women in construction tend to focus on women in professional roles and building trades. Current literature has a bias towards the assumption that barriers affecting women hinder the efforts to address the gender imbalance in the industry. These barriers have been linked to the vertical and horizontal segregation that the industry exhibits. Although there is a growing number of small construction firms that are owned-managed by women, there is a scarcity of research on the experience of these owner-managers. Thus, exploring women's experience in senior management positions within their organisations offers a complementary perspective to the ongoing discussion of the gender balance in construction. This paper aims to examine how the experience of women in construction has been reviewed to date and to present the need to gain a more situated understanding of the experience of women owner-managers, especially those within small construction firms, which comprise 98% of UK construction businesses. This paper will contribute to a contextualised understanding of why the study of women's individual experience in small construction firms continues to be relevant in construction gender research.
... These masculine characteristics would help male employees to cope with stress occurring at the workplace, resulting in a lower degree of job stress (Conway, 2000;Dial, Downey and Goodlin, 2010;Wu and Shih, 2010;Dodanwala and Santoso, 2021). Since the gender of the respondents plays a role in their perceived stress levels in the construction sector (Dodanwala and Santoso, 2021), which is the focus of this study and is considered heavily dominated by men (Fielden et al., 2000;Adeyemi et al., 2006;Ness, 2012), the authors of the present study have decided to control the effects of gender on job stress. ...
... Table 1 represents the demographic information of the respondents. Of the total sample, 78.8% were male, and 21.2% were female, implying that the sample is in line with previous studies indicating that the construction industry is still male-dominant (Fielden et al., 2000;Adeyemi et al., 2006;Ness, 2012). About 42% of the respondents hold a diploma, 49.6% hold a bachelor's degree, and only 8.4% hold a master's degree. ...
Demographic variables play a vital role in determining stress occurring from workplace demands. Role conflict is a major workplace demand, specifically in the context of construction. However, the way demographic variables influence the stress occurring from role conflict is less explored in the literature. Specifically, the literature does not fully explain the positioning of age and organization tenure on the relationship between role conflict and job stress. Hence, the present study evaluates the moderating role of age and organization tenure on the relationship between role conflict and job stress. A survey was conducted by distributing the questionnaire directly to randomly selected project-level employees of ten large private contractors in Sri Lanka. A total of 274 valid respondents were collected and used to run a factor analysis validated hierarchical regression analysis to assess the research hypotheses. The results showed that role conflict has a positive direct effect on job stress. The findings further revealed that the impact of role conflict on job stress is high for young employees in the construction industry, as young employees do not possess the necessary life skills or experience to cope with role conflict. Contrary to the authors’ expectations, there is no significant contribution from organization tenure to the relationship of role conflict and job stress. Since the young employees are more vulnerable to role conflict, special considerations should be given to improve the well-being of the young workforce. Hence, it is recommended that contractors should assign seasoned supervisors who can nurture the young employees and act as mentors. The supervisors should give clear instructions and inform what the young subordinates need to do when confronted with non-overlapping requests or orders from the other parties involved in the project. Besides, organizations must conduct periodic conflict management and resolution training programs to help the employees cope with the conflicts that occur in the workplace, which is the path to lessen the impact of role conflict as organization tenure accumulates.
... Table 2 illustrates the demographic information of the study's sample. Consistent with the findings of Ness (2012), this study also concludes that the construction industry is maledominated, as the present study's respondents constitute 71.9% male and 28.1% female participants. Over four-fifths (81.42%) of the respondents were 31-60 years old; only 10.95% The contractor firm is recognized as a reliable and trustworthy firm BI2 ...
Purpose-The present study developed an integrated model to evaluate the relationship between service quality, brand image, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in the context of Myanmar's construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach-Data on the study variables were gathered from a cross-sectional survey of 210 client organizations that own private buildings in Myanmar. A factor analysis-validated structural equation model was developed to assess the research hypotheses and conceptual framework.
Findings-The results supported an integrated model in which brand image partly mediated the effects of service quality on customer satisfaction. Besides, the brand image and customer satisfaction fully mediated the impact of service quality on customer loyalty. Brand image exerted indirect effects on customer loyalty through customer satisfaction. The study further identified the direct effects of service quality on brand image and customer satisfaction, brand image on customer satisfaction and customer satisfaction on customer loyalty.
Originality/value-While prior studies have explored service quality in the construction industry, no integrated model has been developed to identify the relationship between service quality, brand image, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in construction project settings. This study filled this critical gap in the literature by offering a unique perspective on the study variables and their interrelationships.
... For example, women often experience a 'lack of fit' with the industry's norms and behaviours (Chappell et al., 2017;Olofsdotter & Randevåg, 2016;. These gendered norms are in accordance with Acker's (1990) profound concept of the 'ideal worker', in which women are seen to contradict and somewhat threaten the masculinised and hegemonic practices ingrained within its culture (Galea et al., 2022;Iacuone, 2005;Ness, 2012). For instance, research has found that employers (most commonly females) who utilise workplace obligations such as part-time or flexible working and parental leave are perceived unfavourably and even as lacking devotion to their job (Navarro-Astor, 2017;). ...
Background: The UK construction industry is a gender segregated and masculinised workplace with women representing only around 15% of the workforce. The lived experience of women who work within the UK construction industry remains unexplored from an interpretive phenomenological stance. The current study aimed to address this gap within the literature. Method: Four participants took part in semi structured interviews which were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Findings: Three main themes were identified: ‘The Masculinised Lens’, ‘Seen But Not Heard’, ‘A Man’s World’. All participants experienced benevolent and hostile sexism, with a sense of unbelonging, ‘lack of fit’ and hyper visibility presenting clear challenges for participants. In line with existing research, findings show that well embedded gendered norms underpin a working environment which disfavours women and traits perceived as feminine. Findings may be used to inform organisational training materials and workplace policy, focusing on issues of equality, diversity and inclusion in relation to gender.
... Prior research on gender in the construction industry has largely focused on how patriarchal ideologies and the stereotype of the male construction worker as a brave, risk-taker, technically skilled, and strong continue to shape the industry Iacuone, 2005;Lu and Sexton, 2010;Ness, 2012;Stergiou-Kita et al., 2015a,b). Women who choose non-traditional jobs, like construction, must overcome many challenges in order to enter and stay in the industry. ...
... For the first cycle coding, we applied descriptive coding to quickly assign labels to each meme to summarize in a word the topic related to engineering identity. To create a provisional descriptive code list, we read theoretical and empirical literature related to four areas: engineering identity [4-7, 12, 43], engineering ways of knowing, doing and being [31-33, 39, 44, 45], engineering workplaces [35,39], and genderization, racialization and hypermasculinity in engineering [4,11,30,35,38,39,46,47]. Based on these readings, we developed a provisional "start list" [48] of categories in these areas, but extrapolated the content to further divide them into main codes, and those main codes into four general areas with subcodes to identify more specific topics. ...
... We drew a sample consisting of masons, crane operators, carpenters, street builders, foremen and workers lacking specialist training. As CW is very much male-dominated (Ness, 2012), only two of the 22 workers are women. The age range was between 18 and 68. ...
Based on two qualitative case studies undertaken in Switzerland, this article compares the positioning of Climate Strike activists and construction workers on questions of climate change, so as to analyse the impact of work practices on environmental orientations. Building on a praxeological approach, the article argues that communities of practice in workplaces and educational institutions influence environmental orientations. Everyday practice in schools and universities fosters the scientific environmental knowledge that is central to the orientations of climate activists. By contrast, the practice of construction workers inculcates an embodied environmental knowledge which accompanies an orientation that takes environmental problems as not primarily a question of conservation, but rather as inherently linked to workplace matters. By way of conclusion, the article argues for an expanded notion of environmental concerns, beyond the acceptance of scientific facts on ecological crisis and towards embracing the embodied environmental knowledge more broadly prevalent among manual workers.
... Thus, we posit that current discourses and practices of doctoral engineering students in the classroom, as they engage in teaching, are a representation of the current culture of engineering. That is, doctoral engineering students enact overt and subtle behaviors learned and adopted in engineering spaces throughout their undergraduate and doctoral programs such as a sense of superiority in their ability to solve problems [8], or even pervasive ideologies and values such as hyper-competitiveness [40], importance given to research [3], hyper-masculinity [36,41,42], or lack of tolerance to the difference that revolves around diversity [8]. It is these same practices and discourses that are representative of deficit ideologies, which are often neglected in engineering education doctoral programs. ...
... The construction workforce is evolving in many positive ways, yet it remains one of the most male-dominated industries in the world. Out of every 10 million construction workers, just over one million are female making construction industry to be one of the most genderssegregated sectors of the worlds' economy, whereas men constitute over 99% of the employees in the building trades (Ness, 2011). Again, very shockingly, women are paid, on average, 12% less than their male counterparts in the same role (ILO, 2020) and the developed world is not an exception. ...
Attracting and retaining female students in construction-related programs are increasingly gaining attention in academic research and practice. However, there are limited empirical studies undertaken in developing countries. Thus, this mixed research approach study identified the attraction and retention factors for female students in construction- related programs in Tanzania. Primary data was collected from semi-structured interviews with fifteen female students enrolled in construction programs. A quantitative survey administered to two and ten hundred respondents was then administered. Job/career opportunity, self-confidence of performing construction works, father working in the industry, role model apart from parents, scholarship programs, high school advisor, friends and relatives, parents’ professions and scholarship adverts emerged as the main attraction factors to construction programs. In contrast, career opportunity after graduation, female students in class, mathematics-based course, female faculty members, community of students/classmates, a role model and involvement in construction works were the main retention factors. The study concludes by providing insights into its empirical contributions and practical implications not only for Tanzania but to construction programs in developing countries for government policy makers, educators and learning institutions.
KEYWORDS: Attraction factors; construction; female students; retention factors; Tanzania
... Recognising the relational and pluralised nature of masculinities [19], McDowell ( [20] p. 183) stresses how "masculinity, like femininity, is multiple, variable, context-dependent and unstable in contemporary workplace[s]". Many economic sectors are dominated by men and (multiple) masculinities, including; extractive sectors such as mining, forestry and fishing [21,22], investment banking [20], infrastructure development and construction [23,24], which have all been recognised as replicatingand often relying on -forms of (hegemonic) corporate masculinities (see [25] for further elaboration), with specific social practices learnt by new entrants [26]. For Siemiatycki et al. [23], masculinity is part of the fabric of the global infrastructure sector; they reveal the "ramifications of an infrastructure sector where the positions of power are overwhelmingly held by men, in an industry that has a legacy of racial discrimination that remains deeply entrenched through to the present" (p. ...
Despite growing recognition of the material impacts of fossil fuel extraction and use, many economic sectors remain highly dependent on these fuels. Amid growing pressure to-at a minimum-appear to be doing something , businesses increasingly communicate the actions they (seek to) take to reduce their environmental impacts. Oftentimes they aim to build a sense of compatible coexistence of the sector with particular modes of sustainability. For air transport, 'sustainable aviation' has emerged as a container term for a suite of actions proposed by sectoral actors in seeking to align the sector with social and environmental sustainability. This paper critically interrogates 'sustainable aviation' through an analysis of the websites and reports of 14 international and regional airlines. Our analysis reveals the multiple and diverse ways that dominant logics (1) underpin the status quo, (2) depend on 'the science', (3) support techno-organisational changes and (4) prioritise sectoral growth. By recognising the gendered nature of environmentalism, we suggest that 'sustainable aviation' can be viewed as an active enactment of aeromasculinities-a gendered system of thinking, being and doing which forecloses radical action and change required for a climate-safe and just energy future.
... It is recognized that the WFH experiences of women working in the construction industry are peculiar because of (i) the sudden shift to WFH necessitated by the pandemic and (ii) the low prevalence of regular and planned remote working (or WFH) in the industry prior to the pandemic [38]. Indeed, the construction industry is one of the most male-dominated industries with the greatest degree of gender segregation [40]. The underrepresentation of the female workforce in the industry has continued to draw researchers' attention to various aspects, including the attraction, retention and working experiences of women in the industry [41]. ...
Early studies on the COVID-19 pandemic suggest that the working from home (WFH) mandate and unusual caregiving arrangements have dramatically impacted the employment of women, especially those with young children. This study explores women’s perceptions of the WFH mandate arrangement. Data were collected from the female workforce in the Australian construction industry using an online questionnaire. The specific objectives were to (i) explore their WFH experiences; (ii) examine their perceived impacts of WFH challenges on work activities and performance; and (iii) explore the relationships among critical challenges, the respondents’ demographic characteristics and their overall satisfaction with WFH and preference for WFH after COVID. Although most respondents were new to the WFH arrangement, there is evidence suggesting that they were adapting well to the sudden shift to a WFH arrangement. Sixteen (out of twenty-two) challenges recorded positive perceived impacts on work activities and performance. The top three critical challenges were (i) mutual trust between you and your work supervisor; (ii) availability of suitable space at home; and (iii) information and communication exchanges via virtual meetings. The respondents also indicated positive satisfaction with a WFH arrangement along with perceived positive work performance while WFH. Most of them indicated high preference for WFH after COVID, which was positively correlated with the level of education attainment. The critical challenges identified together with a set of negative factors might be useful for employment organizations to re-optimize their WFH practices.
... Bowen et al. (2014) claim that these factors appear consistent between male and female construction workers and recognise that females face unique challenges due to direct and indirect discrimination. However, Ness et al. (2012) highlight that the mental well-being of female workers requires definite sensitivity, where 99% of the construction workers are from the male population. The specific problem in the construction industry is that mental health and worker mental well-being issues are not openly discussed or recognised to their true magnitude and prevalence for both female and male employees. ...
The construction industry is long perceived as physically demanding, and less consideration has been given to the mental well-being of the construction workers. The increasing number of mental health concerns urges the research to expand their focus from work health, safety and accident prevention to the “physio-social effects” on workers’ well-being. Hence, this research aims to explore the effect of work-related factors on the mental well-being of male and female construction workers. After a thorough literature review to set the background, a qualitative research approach was adopted as the methodology. Sixteen participants across two cases were interviewed, and the sample is an equal representation of male and female construction workers in Australia. Factors affecting mental well-being are recognised under five themes through the content analysis of the case study results, including the machoism characteristics of the industry culture; the high-risk and fast-paced work environment; financial stability and financial literacy; uneven workload and unconventionally long working hours; and the involvement of the employer’s management in reassuring the mental well-being. The key implication is that the same inherent machismo cultural characteristics of the Australian construction industry distinctly affect the mental well-being of male and female construction workers. The unpredictability of casual and contract-based appointments causes low job security and financial stability among male workers leading to financial stress. The current study emphasises that a one-stop approach to address the mental health issues of male and female construction workers is ineffective and proposes further in-depth research under the emerged themes of the research.
... Bowen et al. (2014) claim that these factors appear consistent between male and female construction workers and recognise that females face unique challenges due to direct and indirect discrimination. However, Ness et al. (2012) highlight that the mental well-being of female workers requires definite sensitivity, where 99% of the construction workers are from the male population. The specific problem in the construction industry is that mental health and worker mental well-being issues are not openly discussed or recognised to their true magnitude and prevalence for both female and male employees. ...
The construction industry is long perceived as physically demanding, and less
consideration has been given to the mental well-being of the construction workers. The increasing number of mental health concerns urges the research to expand their focus from work health, safety and accident prevention to the “physio-social effects” on workers’ well-being. Hence, this research aims to explore the effect of work-related factors on the mental well-being of male and female construction workers. After a thorough literature review to set the background, a qualitative research approach was adopted as the methodology. Sixteen participants across two cases were interviewed, and the sample is an equal representation of male and female construction workers in Australia. Factors affecting mental well-being are recognised under five themes through the content analysis of the case study results, including the machoism characteristics of the industry culture; the high-risk and fast-paced work environment; financial stability and financial literacy; uneven workload and unconventionally long working hours; and the involvement of the employer’s management in reassuring the mental well-being. The key implication is that the same inherent machismo cultural characteristics of the Australian construction industry distinctly affect the mental well-being of male and female construction workers. The unpredictability of casual and contract-based appointments causes low job security and financial stability among male workers
leading to financial stress. The current study emphasises that a one-stop approach to address the mental health issues of male and female construction workers is ineffective and proposes further in-depth research under the emerged themes of the research.
... The construction industry is an important contributor to economic performance and employment markets worldwide (Albattah et al. 2016;Choi et al. 2018). Being traditionally male-dominated, construction is experiencing a long-term challenge with vertical and horizontal gender role segregation (Baker et al. 2019;Ness 2012) and ongoing difficulty with effective attraction and retention of women (Bigelow et al. 2019;Bigelow et al. 2021;Perrenoud et al. 2020). While improving, women's participation in this significant economic sector still accounts for a very small proportion of the workforce, at just 25.9% (WGEA 2022). ...
Increasing skill shortages in the construction industry are a concern worldwide. The industry is seeking to find effective ways to encourage more women to pursue careers in construction. This study explores the factors that attract and retain women, comparing them based on age (under 35 years, 35–44 years, and 45 plus years) and role levels (managers, professionals, and nonmanagers). A total of 655 responses were collected through a nationwide survey of women in construction in Australia. The findings suggest that to attract women, career opportunities must be emphasized; and that career advising, attractive salary/wages, and training must be highlighted to attract young female talent. Further, working conditions are important factors considered by managerial and professional women when leaving the industry, particularly younger women. Organizational leaders and decision-makers seeking to recruit more women into construction may improve the effectiveness of their recruitment and retention initiatives by tailoring them to role level and age.
... The professions and trades that plan, design, build and operate infrastructure remain dominated by men in most parts of the world (Adeyemi et al., 2006;Ness, 2012;Patel and Pitroda, 2016). Women are under-represented as employees in almost every part of the sector. ...
... This has also been found in international research (Baublyte et al., 2019;Vainio & Paloniemi, 2013). The construction industry is another sector with a strong masculine culture, connected to physical strength and risk taking as well as technical knowledge (Lu & Sexton, 2010;Ness, 2012;Stergiou-Kita et al., 2015). In the agriculture sector in Sweden there are also structures of sexism, as well as racism and classism (K. . ...
To better understand the interplay between digital activism and feminist infrastructure, this study investigates #MeToo activism in the Swedish construction industry and green industry. Both are industries in transition characterized by a dissonance between formal incentives, that encourage women and others to work in environments previously dominated by white men, and the informal power structures hosting a toxic masculinity. Based on media texts and interviews with key persons from the industries, the article situates #MeToo in a local context and shows how it was embedded in a supportive social, cultural, and technical infrastructure. In both industries, at the time of #MeToo this feminist infrastructure was already in place consisting of: an awareness of the problem of sexual harassment and abuse, knowledge of feminist explanatory models, established feminist online networks, and a supportive feminist culture, which together with widespread digital and feminist literacy became instrumental in the organization of the movement. Social media connected activists and created a critical mass by supporting the uniting of conflicting identity positions around shared differences. The established feminist infrastructure meant that the #MeToo activism, by articulating a widespread affective dissonance, pushed open doors that were already half open and forced them wide. This can explain some of the movement's success in Sweden.
... In the existing construction literature, a significant number of studies have turned their attention to the exploration of gender relating issues affecting the experience of women in the sector (Hasan et al. 2021) and the discourses about gender that might reproduce their absence in the industry (Ness 2012). The literature reports the impact of gender in the career progression of women working in the industry, highlighting the differences in the career progression for women and men due to perceived gendered practices in the industry (Dainty et al. 2000;Francis 2017;Lu & Sexton 2010). ...
Despite the growing number of small construction firms that are owned-managed by women, there is limited research into the lived experience enacted by these women who have direct influence over their firms' strategic direction and operational management. This paper aims to revisit the current narratives on gender prevalent in the industry from a social identity perspective. Social identity approach (SIA) posits that individuals have multiple and salient self-concepts that are defined by their social context and experiences. The exploration of the lived experiences of women owner-managers of small construction firms could shed light on how these women identify themselves. The narrative inquiry methodology will be adopted as it is an appropriate way to gather data about lived experience. Findings from this study will contribute to help policy makers and industry stakeholders go beyond examining structural barriers only when it comes to making the construction industry more attractive to women.
... Worral (2010) stated that women are faced with white, male-dominated organisational cultures in the United Kingdom (UK) construction industry. Ness (2012) revealed that in the UK construction industry, women could do most construction jobs. The dominant ideology about who does what work appears to be challenged but strongly classed and gendered roles in society and the job market are actually reproduced. ...
The World Health Organization has identified stress, which can cause a devastating effect on the emotional and physical wellbeing of a person, as the health epidemic of the 21st century. Occupational stress is a severe problem among male and female professionals. This study aimed to compare the significant stressors of male Quantity Surveyors (QSs) working on-site with their female counterparts. A mixed approach consisting of a series of interviews and a questionnaire survey was adopted to collect the data required for the study. Purposive sampling was used to select the interviewees and questionnaire survey participants from among the QSs working on-site for contractors. Heavy workload/overtime/inflexible work was identified as the most significant stressor of both male and female QSs. Heavy domestic responsibilities and inadequate earned income were the second most significant stressor of female and male QSs, respectively. Shortcomings of the tendering process (document discrepancies, under-priced quotations) were the third most significant stressor for male and female QSs, though not mentioned in the literature. The study findings revealed that the stressors affecting male and female QSs working on-site must be considered separately.
... On this occasion, as displayed in Table 5, 61.9% of the sample (837 cases) claims that it is easier for men to be hired. 35.4% (479 cases) does not find any differences in relation to gender when being hired by a company. 2.7% (36 cases) consider that it is easier for women to be hired. ...
Entre todas las actividades industriales que se desarrollan en todo el mundo, el sector de la construcción es sin duda el sector más masculinizado. Por ello, en esta investigación se analiza la opinión relativa a la igualdad de género que poseen trabajadores/as de este sector en España. Para lograr este objetivo, se realizó una encuesta web a 1353 ingenieros/as de la construcción en todo el país (48,7% hombres, 51,3% mujeres). Los resultados muestran que los varones, los trabajadores de mayor edad, los autónomos y los trabajadores con mayores niveles de ingresos en el sector son los que tienen la actitud más desfavorable hacia la igualdad de género en la profesión. Estos resultados también permite vislumbrar en qué colectivos se necesita, con mayor urgencia, implementar acciones de sensibilización para que las políticas de igualdad de género tengan éxito en el sector de la ingeniería de la edificación en España.
... In contemporary engineering education, there is an emerging focus on changing engineering cultures to attract new students, and to adequately equip engineering students for workplace settings. This is particularly true in construction engineering, which has been historically almost exclusively male-dominated and associated with hegemonic forms of masculinity (Ness, 2012). To address this, it has been argued that engineering education needs to change to reflect the heterogeneity of skills and forms of work in which engineers actually engage in the workplace (Faulkner, 2007). ...
... As expected from a male-dominated industry (Ness, 2012), the majority of the sample consisted of males, accounting for 78.9% of the total respondents, whereas females only accounted for 21.1% of the total respondents. More than half of the respondents (55.8%) were aged between 21-30 years, slightly above one-third (35.4%) of the employees were aged between 31-40 years, and only 7.8% of employees were aged above 40 years. ...
Purpose
The present study first explored the different dimensions of work–family conflict and job stress. It then evaluated the mediating role of time and strain-based work–family conflict on the relationship between role overload and psychological stress and role overload and physiological stress.
Design/methodology/approach
The study utilized a quantitative data collection approach through a questionnaire design. With the aid of the questionnaire, 308 samples were collected from the project-level staff of ten construction organizations in Sri Lanka. The collected data were analyzed using a structural equation modeling approach to address the research hypotheses.
Findings
Results supported the mediating role of work–family conflict on the relationship between role overload and job stress. Specifically, the time and strain-based work–family conflict combined partially mediated the effect of role overload on psychological stress. While strain-based work–family conflict fully mediated the effect of role overload on physiological stress. Hence, the organizations that seek employee well-being should focus on developing a conducive working environment with a focus on a reasonable workload for everyone. Besides, the management should give special consideration to working hours as it affects both the employees' stress levels and family life.
Originality/value
This study added the mediating role of time and strain-based work–family conflict to the previous empirical research on the relationship between role overload and job stress dimensions. Besides, this study discusses the different dimensions of work–family conflict and job stress, which is a less explored area in the construction literature.
... As a minority group in one of the most male-dominated industries with high degree of gender segregation (Ness 2012;Oo, Liu and Lim 2020), it is not hard to find evidence that women workforce in construction have faced barriers related to their career in pre-COVID era. In a systematic literature review, Navarro-Astor, Roman-Onsalo and Infante-Perea (2017) have included as many as 60 publications between 2000 and 2015 on career barriers affecting women in construction. ...
Changes and challenges in employment are inevitable under the measures enacted to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Early evidence suggests that the pandemic would disproportionately affect women compared to men. Focussing on women workforce in construction, this exploratory study examines the challenges associated with changes in their job situations, the adopted strategies in addressing the challenges and their opinions on employment situation of women workforce during the pandemic. Results of a content analysis show that the top ranked challenges are: (i) overworked; (ii) working space; (iii) social interactions; (iv) collaboration; and (v) parenting. The most cited strategies in addressing these challenges are: (i) increased visual communication; (ii) a dedicated workspace; (iii) self-scheduling; (iv) flexible working arrangements; and (v) breaking out work time and personal time. The evidence is suggestive that most challenges are interrelated, and the strategies adopted by the respondents are multi-level and interdependent. The results also show that the most mentioned opinion is the increased caring and domestic responsibilities among women workforce. Under the uncertainty about the duration of the pandemic and future contagion waves, these findings are critical in informing employing organizations’ human resource management challenges to better support their female employees during pandemic time and beyond.
... A focus on attracting women into the sector in numerical terms, rather than addressing inequality holistically (Bagilhole, 2009), hinders progress and may contribute to unintended outcomes ( Van den Brink and Benschop, 2012;Powell et al., 2010;Navarro-Astor et al., 2017). Further, equality policies, training and other initiatives based on presumed agreement on the need for action (Ness, 2011) are unlikely to gain cooperation from a workforce that may be hostile or dismissive to minorities. More broadly, critical diversity studies acknowledge these power relations (Gotsis and Kortezi, 2014) and the limitations of diversity networks to offer support to employees (Dennissen et al., 2020) or training to combat discrimination (Noon, 2018). ...
Policies and actions to address gender inequalities are widespread across a range of institutional and organisational contexts. Concerns have been raised about the efficacy and impacts of such measures in the absence of sustained evaluation of these activities. It has been proposed that important contextual factors may propel or inhibit measures to promote gender equality, including a critical mass of women, role models, diverse leaders and inclusive organisational cultures. This paper explores relationships between organisational justice and equality interventions to better understand gaps between equality policies and practices using a comparative case study approach in a male-dominated sector. A combination of questionnaire and interview data analysis with employees in three case organisations in the construction sector are used to outline links between perceptions of gender equality initiatives and organisational justice, and the mechanisms used to reinforce in-group dominance. The findings culminate in the development of an Employee Alignment Model and a discussion of how this relates to the organisational climate for gender equality work. The findings suggest that the development of interactional organisational justice is an important precursor for successful gender equality interventions in organisations. These findings have implications for those looking to minimize unintentional harm of policies or interventions to improve gender equality.
... Women feel powerless to challenge this behaviour because of wanting to 'fit in' (Dainty, Neale and Bagilhole 2000;Dainty et al 2004;Dainty and Lingard 2006). Some locate the sexism and gender-based discrimination encountered by women within a more encompassing understanding of the structural forces at play (Ness 2012). There are studies indicating that women get paid less than their male peers when they leave university with a degree in construction and enter the workforce (Artess, Ball and Mok 2008;Bilbo, Bigelow, Rybkowski and Kamranzadeh 2014;Dainty et al., 2000;Fielden, Davison, Gale and Davey, 2000;Poon and Brownlow 2016). ...
Gender diversity in the workplace results in the increased effectiveness of an organisation. However, within the commercial property profession in many countries including New Zealand (as in a number of other professions), only a small number of women are reaching senior positions. This research investigates why this might be. The study comprises one-to-one in-depth interviews with women currently working or who have previously worked in the commercial property profession in Auckland, New Zealand, to develop an understanding of what forces are at play in women’s choices to participate in the commercial property industry in Auckland – or not. Common lived experiences are identified including passion for the industry and the importance of an effective human resources department, they demonstrate gender imbalance, issues around having children, and difficulties around promotions and wage negotiations. Common challenges were workplace bullying, attitudes towards women, socialising, ‘fitting-in’ and coping with male banter. The study concludes that women working in the commercial property profession in New Zealand have thrived through mentorship, taking ownership of their careers and finding a good employer. The insights as to how women perceive the professional commercial property industry can be used to increase effectiveness by increasing gender diversity and inclusion.
... However, gender capital can work against women in an industry that presumes a male body and assumes that men are more naturally suited to the work (Wulff et al., 2021). Women's abilities and skills can be devalued in male-dominated industries because they are seen to displace gender norms (Smith, 2013), to speak the wrong language (Ness, 2012) and therefore, cultural capital is more difficult for them to acquire (Taylor et al., 2015;Wulff et al., 2021). Yet, gender theorists agree that women can accumulate appropriate forms of cultural capital from education and work (Huppatz & Goodwin, 2013;McCall, 1992;Reay, 2004;Skeggs, 2004;Taylor et al., 2015). ...
The skilled trades are highly gender segregated occupations. Unsurprisingly, research about women in this male‐dominated sector focuses on the various barriers to inclusion. In contrast, this article identifies factors that have contributed to women's successes. Drawing on in‐depth interviews with tradeswomen, we found that the success factors for women in the skilled trades were aligned with social and cultural capital. Findings also indicate that women's success is driven by their individual attributes and resources rather than any forms of systematic support. There is limited evidence of a coordinated approach from industry and government to increase gender equity and inclusion. Success for women is, therefore, most likely to be singularly occurring, unpredictable and difficult to replicate. We use a Bourdieusian approach to understand how capital facilitates women's success and how forms of capital can be translated into measurable and repeatable strategies. We argue that capital offers women an opportunity to circumvent traditional resistance to gender inclusion because it provides cultural legitimacy. Replicating social and cultural capital through industry initiatives that are measurable and repeatable are likely to be the most constructive ways forward. We recommend a coordinated industry approach to improve diversity and inclusion in the sector.
... Workplace hazards experienced by women onsite in construction include gender-based discrimination, lack of access to training and education, underemployment, inflexible working time arrangements, lack of support, and work-family conflict (Dabke et al. 2008, Ness 2012, Oo et al. 2020. These hazardous workplace conditions are identified as a major contributor to poor employee health and well-being (Burgard and Lin 2013). ...
Women working onsite in construction contend with multiple work hazards arising from the masculine-based work culture. Resilience has been proposed as an important asset for trades and semi-skilled women to manage work hazards and retain work focus. An explanatory sequential research design incorporating survey and interview data was used to explore the resilience of women. One hundred and sixty-eight Australian trades and semi-skilled women completed the Employee Resilience Scale and forty-three of these participants were interviewed. Survey results indicate that participants had a high level of employee resilience, suggesting a strong ability to adapt and succeed in a challenging work environment. Thematic analysis of the interview data identified that resilience is considered as a mandatory capability by women working onsite to manage gendered workplace hazards and attain career success. The findings indicate that these women had high levels of resilience despite little to no support from their workplace. Given its importance, it is recommended that resilience development be included in apprenticeship programs to support retention and career success for tradeswomen. Developing the resilience of semi-skilled women requires more consideration from the industry given their precarious employment status and career pathway. More broadly, the results reiterate that more needs to be done to provide a safe working environment for women working onsite. Rather than relying on women to navigate hostile workplaces, construction employers must protect the safety and health of all workers irrespective of gender.
... This is a programme that in the Swedish context predominantly attracts young, middle-class men (UKÄ 2020) and as such it opens up the possibility to explore how power works from the perspective of female students who are in a minority, and therefore might have the possibility to more easily to identify gendered norms. The programme is also particularly interesting due to the history of construction engineering as male-dominated and associated with hegemonic forms of masculinity (Ness 2012) and in comparison, to for example, the architectural engineering programme, where women are in the majority (UKÄ 2020). ...
This article explores how female university students’ abilities to present themselves as ‘authentic’ engineers are imbricated with discursive constructions of gender and gender equality. The empirical data comes from interviews and video diaries collected with three female engineering students. The analysis demonstrates the power of the Swedish gender equality discourse to inform the students’ talk as they negotiate their gendered identities to become intelligible as engineering students and engineers. We suggest that gender equality is used as a resource in the repertoires, but we also demonstrate that this discourse becomes a dilemma in that it limits possibilities for gender performances to go beyond old patterns. Despite this, the article still shows three unique ways of negotiating gender and other social categories in different situations connected to university learning and participation in internships.
Purpose
Workforce diversity is essential for success from the perspectives of economic development and intellectual property. However, the construction industry is losing out on these gains due to the low diversity among them. The study aims to identify challenges impeding workforce diversity in construction literature through a mixed review approach.
Design/methodology/approach
The study desk reviewed 188 relevant construction peer-reviewed articles and conference papers with no restrictions on the time range. The study adopted the mixed methodology review approach through bibliometric and systematic content analyses.
Findings
The study identified 67 challenges and further classified them into 4 broad categories. These were industry-related, organisational-, personal or attitudinal- and health-related challenges. Organisational challenges were the most prevalent challenges of diversity uptake in the construction industry. The publications' most influential sources, countries/regions and annual trends were also discussed.
Practical implications
Classifying the challenges hindering diversity contributes to the existing knowledge base. The framework's interrelationships among categorised barriers will enable construction professionals to make informed decisions in promoting diversity in the industry.
Originality/value
This study has a broad geographical reach, allowing the findings to be widely applicable to the diverse practice of the worldwide construction sector.
Purpose
This study aims to examine how women entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan's male-dominated sectors utilize the concept of positionality to navigate and redefine gender norms, focusing on their engagement with entrepreneurial masculinities and femininities. It explores the transformative potential of their strategic actions on gender dynamics within the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Design/methodology/approach
Employing qualitative research through 27 in-depth interviews, this study adopts constructivist grounded theory to delve into how women entrepreneurs interact with gender norms within their entrepreneurial context. This approach highlights the dynamic interplay between gender norms and the strategies employed by women entrepreneurs to navigate these challenges.
Findings
The findings reveal that women entrepreneurs actively employ and navigate entrepreneurial masculinities and femininities as strategies to challenge traditional gender roles. Their approaches vary from conforming to, challenging and creatively redefining the gendered expectations encountered in their entrepreneurial journey. This demonstrates their agency in reshaping gender norms and contributing to the diversity of gender performances within the domain of entrepreneurship.
Research limitations/implications
While focused on Kazakhstan, the study's findings suggest broader implications for understanding gender dynamics in entrepreneurship across different cultural contexts. Future research could extend this inquiry to varied sociocultural settings, employing post-structuralist and ethnographic methodologies to further explore the performance of gender roles and the negotiation of belonging in entrepreneurial contexts.
Originality/value
By foregrounding the concept of positionality, this study enriches the dialogue on gender dynamics within entrepreneurship, offering fresh perspectives on the agency of women entrepreneurs in male-dominated sectors. It illustrates how gender identities and performances are not fixed but are actively constructed and negotiated, contributing to the evolving landscape of entrepreneurial masculinities and femininities.
To explore the benefits and limitations of registered apprenticeships for Oregon workers, our research team conducted a survey of Oregon apprentices and analyzed apprenticeship data from the Bureau of Labor and Industries. Our study is driven by credentialization theory and how it relates to the Oregon legislation “Future Ready Oregon” that passed in 2022 which invested $200 million dollars in the trades. In our analysis, we assess access to entering apprenticeship, earnings during and after apprenticeship, completion rates and reasons for leaving apprenticeship, and access to jobs after apprenticeship. We find that there are rewards for those who obtain this type of non-degree credential; however, there are barriers to accessing apprenticeship, especially for those historically excluded from white male-dominated occupations. Ultimately, Future Ready Oregon will help provide access to the trades for people of color and women, but it has limitations for transforming the trades, for example, not directly addressing job site culture.
Purpose
Work–family conflict (WFC) is rife among construction professionals, leading to a significant negative impact on their work engagement. Building on an extant body of research, this study provides nuanced insights into the link between WFC, work–life balance (WLB) and work engagement and identifies the boundary conditions of these relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 257 dyads of construction professionals and their immediate supervisors from a sample of five construction firms based in India using an online survey.
Findings
The results found that WLB mediates the relationship between WFC and work engagement, and the relationship is controlled by professionals' gender and perceptions of psychological contract breach (PCB). An important finding is that PCB accentuates the negative influence of WFC on work engagement via WLB. The study also reveals that the negative impact of WFC on WLB is stronger for women.
Practical implications
The findings are relevant for construction firms since they are primarily dominated by men and continue to struggle to attract more women professionals. The study insights provide avenues to expand existing research on the relationship between WFC and work engagement and offer managerial implications for improving construction professionals' work engagement in the high-pressure context of the construction industry.
Originality/value
The study significantly advances the underdeveloped literature on work–family interface, especially in the unique work settings of the construction industry, by establishing WFC as a predictor and revealing how engagement at work is affected. It highlights the importance of boundary conditions such as gender and PCB. It is one of the first to assess the relationship between WFC, WLB, PCB and work engagement among construction professionals in India.
Purpose
The construction industry is famous for gender imbalance and reluctance in initiating change. In recent years, construction is becoming an attractive career choice for women. However, this change has been gradual. The purpose of this research was to understand the challenges women are facing in construction sector after a decade of implementation of the Equality Act 2010 in the UK and how women in the sector feel the industry could be further improved. This research investigated real-life experiences to identify where the industry needs to make viable improvements.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research methodology was adopted. In total, 31 semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data, which was then analysed using content analysis for inference and conclusion.
Findings
This research revealed that women still experience adversity forcing them to work harder than usual to prove their belonging in construction sector. The “man’s world” culture is still widespread. However, women have seen improvements over recent years but believe more can be done from an intersectionality perspective. This is pertinent due to the Brexit and Covid-19 situation.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the field of equality and diversity in the construction sector. Women believe that factors such as bespoke initiatives, equal pay, flexible working hours (considering childcare and caring responsibilities), mental health and well-being support, and equality and diversity policies will enable the construction sector to create conducive environment for women now and in the future.
This study investigates sustainability reporting (SR) in the construction industry, which is vital to achieving sustainable development goals. Despite extensive research on sustainability practices, scant attention has been paid to SR, a crucial channel for communicating and managing sustainability performance. Aiming to advance SR research, this study systematically reviews 150 articles on the topic in 73 journals. The review reveals significant knowledge gaps and methodological limitations, highlighting the need for a more diversified theoretical lens for evaluating the complex nature of SR. The investigation identifies four study themes: assessment and indicators, determinants, strategic management, and outcomes of SR. The review offers a comprehensive analysis of the current literature and presents an integrated framework that encompasses sustainability attributes and reporting in the construction sector. The study's contributions include directions for future research and practical implications for managers and policymakers that can support the transition toward sustainable development in the construction industry.
Purpose
This study aims to determine the effects of sexism and unfavourable job conditions on women's mental and physical wellbeing in construction operations. In addition, this study will establish the mediating role of work morale in the association between workplace challenges and wellbeing.
Design/methodology/approach
Data for this study were obtained from women working in office environments, onsite professionals and those in trades. A total of 65 participants responded to the survey. The partial least square structural equation modelling method was applied to validate the measurement model and test the hypotheses.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that benevolent and hostile sexism directly influences work morale and indirectly affects women's mental and physical wellbeing in the construction industry. Hostile sexism is the most significant challenge for female construction workers in New Zealand.
Research limitations/implications
The finding is theory-building and challenges the assumptions that the nature of the construction industry has a bearing on the mental and physical health of women in construction. In addition, the finding is useful for creating positive work environments that are both inclusive and empathetic to the diverse needs of the modern-day construction workforce. Thus, reducing the challenges experienced by construction women's workforce.
Originality/value
The current study focuses on women and those who identified themselves as such. The conclusions show the relevance of work morale to their mental wellbeing. This exploratory quantitative study contributes to research by advancing understanding of the challenges women face in the industry and the consequences of those challenges on their physical and mental wellbeing.
Play is a highly valued pedagogy in early learning settings around the world. Supporters of play have emphasised the benefits of this approach in promoting children’s development and learning and their alleged freedom to choose, explore, and follow their interests. Feminist research, however, has shown that play contexts can be key sites that perpetuate gender inequalities. Building on this scholarship, I apply a critical feminist lens to examine the gendered effects of a recent shift in a Canadian province towards full-day play-based learning in kindergarten. Analysis of ethnographic data collected in two classrooms reveals that not all children may benefit from play-based learning. Instead, the findings show that the play settings in this study implicitly propagated patriarchal values that upheld hierarchal gender divisions and legitimized sexist practices among children in play. Specifically, in this paper I examine the subordination of girls through role allocations in the big blocks center. Given these findings, I discuss the need for critical gender literacy and transformative action among early education stakeholders.
This edited volume explores storytelling methodologically and in practice. The interdisciplinary chapter content provides insight into the diversity of academic disciplines using stories as data and makes explicit the interaction between story, storytelling and storyteller.
The autoethnographic story presented in this chapter explores bullying between women in male-dominated environments. To this end, we explore what has become known as the Queen Bee Syndrome. Although the Queen Bee Syndrome implies superficially—and somewhat patronisingly—that women are their ‘own worst enemies’, our data suggest it is a phenomenon that is deeply entrenched in organizational norms, the parameters for which have typically been defined by influential men. We further argue that bullying between women in male-dominated industries persists because it often takes a form which many men struggle to identify; it thus remains ‘veiled’.
Oregon’s Highway Construction Workforce Development Program aims to improve the recruitment and retention of a diverse construction workforce, through pre-apprenticeships that provide alternative pathways into apprenticeship as well as financial and non-financial retention services that aim to help apprentices complete their apprenticeships. This evaluation research examines the impact of the Program on recruitment and retention trends, drawing on administrative data from the Program as well as interviews with program participants. We find pre-apprenticeship programs have improved the recruitment of women into the trades. We further find that non-financial services, ready supplies, and childcare services have a positive impact on completion, with receipt of non-financial support having the largest impact on completion. Gas/travel services are positively associated with completion among apprentices of color. Interview data suggest that additional support services for apprentices as well as structural changes to the industry are needed to achieve construction workforce diversity goals.
Fehlende formale Qualifikationen wirken sich negativ auf Erwerbschancen aus, insbesondere für Frauen. Während die Forschung bisher vor allem makrostrukturelle Faktoren beleuchtete, nimmt dieser Beitrag die Mesoebene in den Blick und fragt danach, wie die Erwerbschancen Geringqualifizierter durch branchenspezifische Formen der Beschäftigung und Arbeitsorganisation beeinflusst werden. Durch den Vergleich zweier geschlechtersegregierter Branchen, dem Bau- und Reinigungsgewerbe in der Schweiz, wird aufgezeigt, wie Systeme der kollektiven Lohnverhandlung, Strategien des Personaleinsatzes sowie Regeln und Praktiken der Beförderung und Weiterbildung zu ungleichen Erwerbschancen beitragen. Analytisch knüpft der Artikel an die Theorie der Unterschätzung von Frauenarbeit an und konzipiert Erwerbschancen als Resultat unterschiedlicher Konstruktionen des Werts von Arbeit. Als empirische Grundlage dienen qualitative Interviews mit Arbeitgebenden, geringqualifizierten Arbeitskräften und Gewerkschaftsvertretern. Zudem wurden die Kollektivverträge der beiden Branchen analysiert. Der Fokus liegt auf Generalunternehmen der Baubranche und auf der Unterhaltsreinigung. Während sich Erstere durch hohe Mindestlöhne sowie institutionalisierte Aufstiegsmöglichkeiten auszeichnen, ist Letztere durch niedrige Löhne, Unterbeschäftigung und mangelnde Möglichkeiten der beruflichen Weiterentwicklung geprägt. Der Beitrag belegt die Vielschichtigkeit der Faktoren, die auf der Ebene von Branchen und Betrieben die Erwerbschancen von Geringqualifizierten beeinflussen.
Writing about sexism and sexual harassment in the field is still generally discouraged outside gender ethnography, despite a growing gender reflexivity in research. This is mostly due to certain established norms and expectations about ethnographic work that tend to ignore how these issues contribute to women’s fieldwork experiences and subsequent ethnographic accounts. In this article, we go against this tendency by setting out our gendered experiences as female ethnographers conducting research on labor mobility in the male-dominated construction industry among Brazilian internal migrants in Rio de Janeiro and among Polish migrant workers in Europe. We foreground how gendered dynamics affected our fieldwork experience and how they generated a degree of self-doubt and self-blame about our methodological choices. Our hope is that writing about our experiences will help female ethnographers to better prepare for and consider the different kinds of sexism that will inevitably shape their knowledge production.
In a recent research interview the chief HRM manager of a large global company that is prominent in favouring diversity management, rather than gender equality or equal opportunities as its management strategy, stated: We should aim at benefiting from diversity. There is not just the word 'diversity' but also the issue of gaining benefits. You are right that if we have total diversity it may lead nowhere, we will never arrive at the conclusion. One needs to have some realism here. To summarize the three main business reasons why we think diversity is important I would say that first, we want to encourage creativity in our organization. Second, we need to better understand our customers. And third, we want to have an inclusive working environment allowing us to expand our pool of potential recruits. Our staff should enjoy working for this company. The interview continued: Q: What kind of gender policies do you have in your organization? A: I'm tempted to say that this conversation will be very short if we discuss this issue. Let me rephrase the question. Why would you have gender policies in the first place? Q: Well, what I'm asking is that … A: Yes, yes, but in our culture, everyone is equal and there isn't a need for such policies. Whether this is the reality, whether the practices promote equality is then another story. [Jabbing his finger at the woman interviewer] You shouldn't look at gender policies but practices. That's the real issue. (Hearn & Piekkari, 2004: 15)
This article explores the social partners' role in the gender equality
agenda in construction at skilled operative level. It draws on a survey of the
European construction social partners that investigated the presence of women in
skilled trades and the policies, collective agreements and practices that play a role in women's integration. The responses indicate that the construction industry still
displays inertia and conservatism, and that the social partners corroborate rather
than counter this. They express a 'discourse' of gender equality, but this does not
automatically lead to equal opportunity policies or programmes. The social partners
have the platform to make inroads and to change the industry from within, but need
further encouragement to put this on their agenda.
We start our chapter by introducing the notions of 'critique', 'ideology', and 'power'. These three concepts are constitutive for every approach in CDA, albeit frequently employed with different meanings. Therefore, it is important to clarify how they are conceptualised in the DHA. We then proceed with the delineation of other terms significant for our purposes, such as 'discourse', 'genre', 'text' 'recontextualization', 'intertextuality', and 'interdiscursivity'. Section 2 summarises some analytical tools and general principles of the DHA. In section 3, we illustrate our methodology step by step by focussing on 'discourses about climate change'. In the final section we discuss the strengths and limitations of the DHA and point to future challenges for the field.
This paper examines service work within the contemporary airline industry which has recently been shaped by managerial initiatives aiming to deliver `quality service'. We focus upon the gendered consequences of this. On the basis of original empirical research, three specific arguments are advanced: firstly, recent competitive pressures and accompanying managerial initiatives are intensifying demands upon female employees for the production of emotional labour, subjective commitment to organisational aims and sexual difference within parts of the airline industry; secondly, despite the enormous power of such managerial demands, the `spaces' for female employees to comply, consent and resist remain `open' within the aspects of the industry studied; thirdly, the power of the gendered managerial prescription investigated here is related to the way it is embedded within the structural and inequitable capital-labour relation. The paper is informed by an approach which places the process of gendering inside class relations, and stresses the need to empirically interrogate the historically-specific `lived experience' of gendered power relations in order to adequately analyse and explain such phenomena.
This article explores the social partners' role in the gender equality agenda in construction at skilled operative level. It draws on a survey of the European construction social partners that investigated the presence of women in skilled trades and the policies, collective agreements and practices that play a role in women's integration. The responses indicate that the construction industry still displays inertia and conservatism, and that the social partners corroborate rather than counter this. They express a 'discourse' of gender equality, but this does not automatically lead to equal opportunity policies or programmes. The social partners have the platform to make inroads and to change the industry from within, but need further encouragement to put this on their agenda.
The predominant image of construction is that of a male-dominated industry requiring brute strength and a good tolerance for outdoor conditions, inclement weather and bad language. Reconciling this image with women's participation in the construction industry is problematic. However, there are early signs of a cultural shift in the industry. This paper presents an empirical review of wome's roles within the industry and the ways in which people make sense of their working experience when traditional gender roles are challenged. Based on qualitative research, the study found that men in the industry regarded as the gatekeepers are now finding ways to respond to and make sense of a changing workplace, and the realities that women are now actively encouraged to participate, legally protected against discrimination and more highly represented in non-traditional areas of the construction industry. Women are also findings ways as apprentices and tradespeople to position themselves within this new environment. They identify ways of working that are more likely to ensure a smooth experience for themselves. While the stimulus for the changing face of the workplace is the notion of gender equality, the responses are not gender neutral. All players are trying to negotiate ways to integrate each other into a new environment in a manner which allows them to comfortably reconcile issues of gender.
Currently there are over 11 million women employed in the UK, accounting for 49.5% of the workforce. However, despite increases in the number of women employed in the construction industry over the past decade, they still constitute only 13% of the industry's workforce. This means that construction continues to be the most male dominated of all the major industrial groups. A review is presented of the literature relating to the current position of women in the construction industry. It identifies and examines the barriers preventing women's entry into the industry, the subsequent barriers faced by those working within the construction industry, and initiatives committed to promoting equality for women and men in construction. These barriers arise from a number of sources including: the construction industry's image; career knowledge amongst children and adults; selection criteria and male dominated courses; recruitment practices and procedures; sexist attitudes; male dominated culture; and the work environment.
This chapter examines the factors and interrelated decisions that influence the career dynamics of female and male construction professionals in the United Kingdom. It draws on research by the authors which compared the determinants and resultant career patterns of construction professionals through detailed career history profiles of matched ‘pairs’ of male and female informants. These data were used to establish any disparity between men’s and women’s career progression and to explore the determinants of women’s organizational and occupational mobility patterns. Initially, the chapter outlines the nature of employment within the UK labour market and the impact that male domination has on the sector. Next, the literature surrounding the nature of careers in organization is reviewed as a precursor to explaining how women’s and men’s careers were examined in this study. The chapter then presents and discusses the findings of the research, which reveal the importance of addressing gender inequalities in career development if the industry is to benefit from the advantages that a diverse workforce can bring.
This paper examines the role of sexuality in the labour process in a case study drawn from the off-course betting industry, as a contribution to the discussion of forms of service work. It draws on ethnographic research in three betting shops of a major bookmaking company. Echoing recent studies of sexuality and work, the paper argues that sexuality represents a strong undercurrent in organizational power relationships, and in the tacit expectations of employees. Such expectations, often codified in terms of ambiguous references to ‘personality’, impact on both recruitment processes and authority and peer relations in the organisation of work. If such expectations of necessity remain implicit, sexuality is also shown to be an unstable managerial resource which can emerge as a problematic area of social relations in work.
This thesis is based on an ethnographic case study of a London building site. The social organisation of building work and building workers was framed by the city, and cross-cut by class, race and gender, the structures and processes of which are explored throughout. The fieldwork site was characterised by racial divides between subcontracted trade groups, which were organised around informal networks within ethnic communities. Those communities, in their turn, were bounded by patterns of gift-exchange, reciprocity and ensuing loyalties. Networked contacts, which were predominately ascribed by social, ethnic and regional origins, formed an aspect of the perpetuation of race and class structures. Strong notions of trust and loyalty fostered illegitimate activities because information concerning rule-breaking was kept within the communities and went undetected by agencies representing the formal law. Informal networks were also contrived and engineered by entrepreneurial subcontractors whose relationships with building contractors and consultants were characterised by gift-giving. This process shielded competition from rivals and closed down the competitiveness of the construction market. 'Embedded' economic relations excluded recent migrant groups and their subcontracted representatives by blocking access to jobs and contracts, despite the groups' ability to offer cheaper and harder-working labour. Contractual arrangements were informal and sometimes illicit, and this erected barriers to legal and regulatory power. Coupled with short-term and ephemeral working practices, a social order partly supported by the threat of violence was established. The masculinity expressed by builders was, in part, a consequence of this display of violence. The building industry was virtually a 'non-modern ' organisation whose social relations were marked by network morality, nepotism, reciprocity, gift relations and the threat of violence. Yet, violence underpinned forms of social power, which manufactured the imbalance of false reciprocities.
Within the UK, construction has an unenviable status as being the industry with the lowest representation of women and ethnic minority employees. Despite considerable efforts to diversify the industry's labor force, this has had little tangible effect on the numbers of these non-traditional entrants. Empirical studies that have explored aspects of women's and ethnic minorities' employment have tended to deal with the experiences of these under-represented groups separately. In contrast, this paper uses the findings from two research studies to compare women and ethnic minority employees' experiences of gaining employment and working within the industry. Both studies suggest the construction workplace presents a challenging and hostile environment for non-traditional entrants, and women and ethnic minority employees face both similar and different challenges and attitudinal barriers. Discriminatory behavior perpetrated by the dominant white male workforce is commonplace, as are informal recruitment practices, exclusive networks and a competitive and adversarial culture. By comparing and analyzing the results and recommendations from the two studies, the paper identifies where action is required to lead to a more balanced and socially representative workforce in the future. The similarity of the recommendations put forward by these studies suggests that there would be an advantage in developing a more holistic approach towards managing diversity in the sector. It is argued that addressing a broad range of equal opportunities in an integrated and strategic manner would enhance opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, and for the workforce as a whole.
With this paper I want to celebrate the work of Siegfried J. Schmidt. When I just typed his name, I made a significant typo: I wrote SiegFRIEND… It was with him that I shared the beginning of text grammar, text theory and discourse studies, and who was the scholar who invited me for my first ever scholarly conference, in 1969s in Mannheim (Schmidt 1970).
In the decade since the First Edition of this critical and provocative text, many aspects of gender have changed, and many have stayed the same. While the gendered study of organizations is a growing field in its own right, in many real-life organizations gaps in gendered job roles and pay are as entrenched as they were. This new edition is a long-awaited update to an essential text in this dynamic and expanding field of inquiry, incorporating new, international perspectives that incorporate recent theory and debate, and a new chapter on gender and identity. Understanding Gender and Organizations is essential reading for students and academics in management, organization studies, gender studies, social psychology and sociology of work.
This paper examines the role of sexuality in the labour process in a case study drawn from the off-course betting industry, as a contribution to the discussion of forms of service work. It draws on ethnographic research in three betting shops of a major bookmaking company. Echoing recent studies of sexuality and work, the paper argues that sexuality represents a strong undercurrent in organizational power relationships, and in the tacit expectations of employees. Such expectations, often codified in terms of ambiguous references to `personality', impact on both recruitment processes and authority and peer relations in the organisation of work. If such expectations of necessity remain implicit, sexuality is also shown to be an unstable managerial resource which can emerge as a problematic area of social relations in work
Proportions, that is, relative numbers of socially and culturally different people in a group, are seen as critical in shaping interaction dinamics, and four group types are identified in the basis of varying proportional compositions. "Skewed" groups contain a large preponderance of one type (the numerical "dominants") over another (the rare "tokens"). A framework is developed for conceptualizing the processes that occur between dominants and tokens. Three perceptual phenomena are associated with tokens: visibility (tokens capture a disproportionate awareness share), polarization (differences between tokens and dominants are exaggerated), and assimilation (tokens' attributes are distorted to fit preexisting generalizations about their social type). Visibility generates performance pressures; polarization leads dominants to heighten their group boundaries; and assimilation leads to the tokens' role entrapment. Illustrations are drawn from a field study in a large industrial corporation. Concepts are exten...
This book first took shape in my mind as little more than a study of occupational shifts in the United States. I was interested in the structure of the working class, and the manner in which it had changed. That portion of the population employed in manufacturing and associated industries—the so-called industrial working class—had apparently been shrinking for some time, if not in absolute numbers at any rate in relative terms. Since the details of this process, especially its historical turning points and the shape of the new employment that was taking the place of the old, were not clear to me, I undertook to find out more about them. And since, as I soon discovered, these things had not yet been clarified in any comprehensive fashion, I decided that there was a need for a more substantial historical description and analysis of the process of occupational change than had yet been presented in print. This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.
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Whether or not manual workers actually valued industrial
welfarism has been largely subsumed within the debate over its productive
or coercive function. Yet many workers seemingly placed little importance
on such benefits, either when demanded by unions or provided by
employers. This rebuttal should not be read only in terms of the primacy
of money wages within a hierarchy of demands. Taking construction as an
example of a male dominated industry, it is argued that key aspects of
welfarism ran counter to masculine constructs of workplace culture.
Improved physical amenities devalued such defining attributes of worker
identity as self-sufficiency and toughness; even cash benefits like paid
holidays were misappropriated by a significant minority who preferred
more traditional manly pleasures. Yet the value placed on "conditions of
work" issues also reflected broader structural changes within the
industry: notably issues of workplace control. Only in such contexts can
attitudes to welfare be understood. It was never simply a question of
want or dislike.
Much organizational restructuring, at least in the UK and USA, seeks to replace organizational regulation by that of the market. These developments centre around an emphasis on relations with customers - the ‘sovereign consumer’- as a paradigm for effective forms of organizational relations; they are apparent in, and underpin, a wide variety of organizational developments: just-in-time, total quality management, culture change programmes.
Understanding these developments requires consideration of the discourse of enterprise of which the culture of the (internal) customer constitutes a key element. Defining internal organizational relations ‘as if’they were customer/supplier relations means replacing bureaucratic regulation and stability with the constant uncertainties of the market, and thus requiring enterprise from employees. This discourse has fundamental implications for management attempts to define working practices and relations and, ultimately, has impact on the conduct and identities of employees.
Understanding these developments is not possible if analysis remains at the level of the organization. It requires that organizational restructurings, and the discourse which supports them, be located within the social and political rationality of enterprise. The certainties of management, the conviction that environmental challenge and competitive threat must be met by the cult[ure] of the customer, are due to managements’largely unquestioned acceptance of the normality and perceived good sense of the discourse of enterprise.
This article addresses the question of whether an increased number of women entering the construction professions is resulting in the build-up of critical mass, with associated changes in the culture of the construction industry, and thus in its organization and conditions of employment. It was found, from recent research, that little such change has occurred so far. Indeed the construction industry seemed to be so self-contained and separate from wider social changes, that it was helpful to visualize it as constituting ‘Planet Construction’ upon which live a series of male-dominated professional tribes, each with its own culture and world view. This article discusses the factors and forces limiting change, and then identifies likely change agents. These comprise top-down agents such as governmental regulatory bodies, and bottom-up agents such as minority groups and community organizations. The most effective bottom-up groups are likely to be those that have a foothold within the professional bodies such as the women-led Equal Opportunities in Construction Taskforce, which has produced and is promoting guidelines for equal opportunities in the industry. But there is still a long way to go before major changes are likely to occur in the employment status, pay and conditions, as women in construction have hardly reached ‘first base’ in terms of being accepted within the industry. This is reflected in high job turnover among women in construction, occupational isolation, and limited promotion prospects, all factors which work against the build-up of critical mass and culture change.
This article considers equal opportunities and diversity management policies in the contemporary British Army for what they indicate, not only about policy frameworks for women's military participation, but also for what they tell us about the construction of ideas about gender and difference within that organization. The article sets out contextual information on women in the British Army and describes the research methodology on which this article is based. It looks at the evolution of equal opportunities policies and the more recent shift towards diversity management policies in the Army, focusing on their contributions towards female equity. The article examines the consequences of the shift towards the management of diversity, noting how embracing the ideas of diversity management is ultimately limited by the Army's construction of female difference. It concludes with a discussion of the issues of female and military specificity in relation to the management of diversity.
Il existe une difference d'opinion, chez les philosophes indiens, concernant les conditions de comprehension du sens d'une phrase. Le but de cet article est, dans un premier point, d'expliquer les conditions Nyāya et les conditions Advaita Vedānta pour comprendre le sens d'une phrase ; puis de revendiquer que le point de vue Vedānta complete le point de vue Nyāya et vis-versa ; enfin de discuter de la nature de l'interpretation du sens d'une phrase.
This article discusses how women working as civil engineers within the UK construction industry perceive work–life balance and considers strategies they use to achieve this. The findings are presented of a qualitative research project that explored the experiences of women in this role, focusing on the subcultural context of a profession that is dominated by the values of presenteeism and infinite availability. A feminist post-structuralist framework is used to analyse how women negotiate their personal and professional time and the extent to which their other roles as carers and nurturers unsettle male work practices in this highly gendered profession. There are gradually increasing numbers of women in professional construction roles and their success appears to depend on being able to fit in to the dominant masculine culture of long working hours and the male pub gathering. Despite an increased presence, women's minority status in construction continues to challenge their professional identity and this is central to the conflict many face between the dual roles of corporate worker and private non-work person.
This document is also available electronically at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr156.pdf Although the British construction industry is one of the safest in Europe, one third of all work fatalities happen in construction and construction workers are six times more likely to be killed at work than employees in other sectors. A similar situation exists for non-fatal accidents. Although previous research has led to a good understanding of the extent and pattern of accidents in the construction industry, there has been only limited objective analysis of the full range of contributory managerial, site and individual factors. With this background, the study had the following aims: 1. To collect rich, detailed data on the full range of factors involved in a large sample of construction accidents. 2. Using this information, to describe the processes of accident causation, including the contribution of management, project, site and individual factors in construction industry accidents. The research used a combination of focus groups and studies of individual accidents in pursuit of these.
Approximately 37 per cent of architectural students are women and the percentage is increasing. This increase is not reflected in the architectural profession; women represent only 13 per cent of the total and analysis reveals that women are leaving the profession after qualifying. The research reported here was undertaken in 2003 and investigated the reasons why women were leaving. Research methods included the appointment of an expert advisory group, an extensive literature review, a web-based questionnaire aimed at women architects and a series of interviews with women who had left architecture. No single reason emerged from the research to explain why women left but a multiplicity of factors, such as low pay, poor promotion prospects, discriminatory attitudes and sexist behaviour were found to influence departure. The problem has an international dimension as revealed through the web survey and from ongoing academic interest. There are serious implications for the future of the profession if, through its culture and practice, it loses skilled people after they have qualified. Finally a series of key strategic recommendations for the professional bodies as well as practitioners suggest ways of reducing this female brain drain. The aim is to increase diversity in the construction industry and improve the competitive edge of the architectural profession.
Currently, skills shortages are prompting the UK government to introduce initiatives intended to break down notions of stereotyped employment and attract women to non-traditional, male-dominated industries such as construction. Thus, it seems timely to revisit a study of the lived experience of non-traditionally employed women, conducted in Northern Ireland in the mid-1990s. Data from this study are presented here, specifically contextualized within R. M. Kanter's (American Journal of Sociology, 82, 965-90) framework of tokenism. Utilizing this framework, the paper examines the relationship that exists between the sexes (women as 'tokens' and males as 'dominants') in the non-traditional settings examined, indicating that barriers remain that women must surmount for gender equality to be achieved. The paper concludes by briefly examining one initiative working pro-actively to remove these barriers, providing women with greater opportunities to pursue non-traditional careers.
In response to impending skills shortages and changing employment patterns, the UK construction industry recently has made considerable efforts to attract more women to its professions. However, despite their increasing representation, there are indications that women experience difficulties in developing their careers within the industry. This research investigated the careers of men and women working for large construction companies, in order to establish the gender determined influences on women's career progression. A primarily qualitative methodology was employed for the research, in which career profiles were developed through ethnographic interviews with 41 matched pairs of male and female employees. This allowed the gender specific determinants of careers to be established across a range of different organizations, and from informants at different vocational and life-cycle stages. The analysis resulted in the formulation of a set of eight interrelated theoretical models, from which a theory of women's career development was constructed. The theory reflects the belief that the construction workplace is a competitive and conflictual environment, where women are overtly and covertly discriminated against by men, who use structural systems to undermine their participation. The women interviewed were found to have dealt with these barriers in a way which perpetuated existing work cultures. If reflected throughout the industry, this would suggest the existence of a self-fulfilling cycle of women's continued under-achievement. The paper puts forward the radical proposition that women should not be attracted to the industry unless steps are taken to moderate its exclusionary and discriminatory culture.
THE GREAT MORTALITY AMONG CHILDREN of the working class, and especially among those of the factory operatives, is proof enough of the unwholesome conditions under which they pass their first years. These influences are at work, of course, among the children who survive, but not quite so powerfully as upon those who succumb. The result in the most favourable case is a tendency to disease, or some check in development, and consequent less than normal vigour of the constitution. A nine-year-old child of a factory operative that has grown up in want, privation, and changing conditions, in cold and damp, with insufficient clothing and unwholesome dwellings, is far from having the working strength of a child brought up under healthier conditions. At nine years of age it is sent into the mill to work 61/2 hours (formerly 8, earlier still, 12 to 14, even 16 hours) daily, until the thirteenth year; then twelve hours until the eighteenth year. The old enfeebling influences continue, while the work is added to them. . . . but in no case can its [the child’s] presence in the damp, heavy air of the factory, often at once warm and wet, contribute to good health; and, in any case, it is unpardonable to sacrifice to the greed of an unfeeling bourgeoisie the time of children which should be devoted solely to their physical and mental development, and to withdraw them from school and the fresh air in order to wear them out for the benefit of the manufacturers. . . .