Women at work! Evaluating equal employment policies and outcomes in construction

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-11-2013-0098
• Date: 20 March 2015
• Published date: 20 March 2015
• Pages: 227-243
• Author: Erica French,Glenda Strachan

Women at work! Evaluating

equal employment policies and

outcomes in construction

Erica French

Department of Management, Queensland University of Technology,

Brisbane, Australia, and

Glenda Strachan

Employment Relations and Human Resources, Griffith University,

Brisbane, Australia

Abstract

Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine equal employment policies in Australia’s

male-dominated construction industry and categorise the types of activities undertaken against an

equal employment typology to identify links to outcomes for women in the form of increased

participation and management.

Design/methodology/approach –To explore the issue of low representation of women in construction

through the content analysis of 83 construction organisations’equal employment opportunity (EEO)

reports.

Findings –This industry is not engaging with equal employment issues and the numbers of women

working in the industry and/or management are based on individual decision rather than an

institutional commitment to equality in diversity.

Research limitations/implications –Australian legislation mandates organisational reporting of

relevant data and offers public access to this information offering a unique data set.

Practical implications –An ageing population means that the predominately older male workforce

is leaving construction in greater numbers with fewer potential replacements making new labour

markets a vital consideration.

Social implications –Legislation and organisational policies designed to promote EEO for women

have existed in numerous countries for decades. One objective of this legislation was to reduce male

domination in senior positions and industries/occupations where women were under-represented.

Despite this, few women are employed in construction in operational or management roles worldwide.

Originality/value –This study offers a comprehensive analysis of a male-dominated industry in one

jurisdiction rather than a few selected cases and uses a broader rigorous typology for analysis that

acknowledges both equal and different treatment options.

Keywords Equal opportunities, Construction, Australia, Women workers, Diversity typologies,

Low representation

Paper type Research paper

Introduction

One of the major goals of legislation and policies designed to promote equality in

employment has been the reduction in occupational segregation by sex, which is the

propensity for women and men to work in different occupations (Blackburn et al.,2002).

Occupationalsegregation is an important issue as it is linkedto the disadvantagewomen

experience in pay, opportunity and benefits. As a result, nationaland international goals

continue to focuson equitable participation across industries, occupations and job levels,

as well as differences in equitable conditions of work between women and men,

especially issues of equal pay. In different countries the implementation of a range of

legislative approaches is mandated or enforced to different degrees (Bell, 2007; Kirton

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 34 No. 3, 2015

pp. 227-243

©Emerald Group Publis hing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-11-2013-0098

Received 22 November 2013

Revised 15 January 2015

Accepted 19 January 2015

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

www.emeraldinsight.com/2040-7149.htm

227

Employment

policies and

outcomes in

construction

and Greene, 2005; Jain et al., 2003; Wirth, 2001). The heterogeneity of a broad range of

equity and diversity management ideologies is supported by an equally broad variety

of policies and organisational practices, and as a result organisations today operate and

choose their equality and diversity management approach from this jumble. Yet despite

legislation, policies and research in many countries for more than 40 years the issue

remains.

The question of whether organisations can themselves achieve full structural integration

of women to accurately reflect the external labour market remains unresolved, and there is

no agreement on the means for achieving a gender-balanced organisation. This study

examines two linked research questions:

RQ1. What are the equal employment approaches implemented within organisations

designed to manage equality in diversity in one male-dominated industry?

RQ2. Are any approaches related to increased numbers of women within the industry,

in non-traditional areas of work, or in management?

This study is significant because we examine one industry as an industry vertical, namely

the construction industry, as it is the most male-dominated of all industries worldwide.

Our study focuses on the range and types of equal employment policies designed to

promote gender equality using reports from 83 construction firms in Australia, analysed

through the lens of a rigorous typology of organisational equal employment approaches.

The outcomes are examined in relation to the numbers of women within the industry; in

management and in traditional and non-traditional roles within the industry and their

significance lies in the limitations of equal employment policies in predicting increasing

numbers of women across any of these areas in construction.

Gender segregation

Occupational segregation is endemic across all regions; all economic levels; in all

political systems; all religious, social and cultural environments; and is the most

enduring aspect of labour markets around the world (Davidson and Burke, 2011;

Anker, 1997). It is more prevalent, however, in wealthy industrial countries (Blackburn

et al., 2002). Vertical segregation (women holding lower status and less pay in

organisations) measures the component of inequality, while horizontal segregatio n is

orthogonal to the vertical segregation and measures the extent of difference within

occupations (Blackburn et al., 2002, p. 514). In countries examined by Blackburn et al.

(2002), namely the UK, the USA and Greece, the horizontal component of job

segregation (access to different jobs or industries) is greater but both are deemed

important and need explanation. The concerns of occupational segregation include

equity matters such as pay differentials between women and men and the negative

effects of how men view women and how women view themselves (Anker, 1997). These

factors and their consequences (including mortality, morbidity, poverty and income

inequality) are not the only reasons that segregation is disturbing. Occupational

segregation is a major source of labour market rigidity and economic ineffic iency due

to a waste of human resources. In explaining job segregation’s persistence Acker (2006)

identifies “inequality regimes”which are “loosely interrelated practices, processes,

actions and meanings that result in and maintain class, gender and racial inequalities

within particular organizations”(Acker, 2009, p. 201). These underpin the systemic

disparities in organisational outcomes that include (but are not limited to) oppor tunities

of job security, pay and promotion. Organisations are repeatedly recognised as

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