Women, equality and construction

Abstract

Examines the situation faced by women in the UK construction industry. Finds that women are confronted by a significant number of barriers, beginning with difficulties in joining the industry. In addition, the administrative or human resource management roles traditionally occupied by women do not lead to mainstream roles and senior management roles. To increase prospects, women need to able to take on the more mainstream roles in the industry such as design, engineering and construcition iteself. The main investigation of the article is therefore into the barriers preventing women from taking these roles. Conclusions and suggestions for reform are made.

Barriers Preventing Women from Enrolling in Construction Management Programs

“…This study showed that recruiting was routinely done through informal and personal sources putting women at a disadvantage. As an example, the CITB advertises for its training courses at football matches, which tend to be watched more heavily by males (Fielden, Davidson, Gale, & Davey, 2001). A manager confided that he felt threatened by women coming into the industry (Greed, 2000).…”

“…This was confirmed by Menches and Abraham (2007) that life and family issues strongly influence a women's career paths. In a survey of men and women working in construction, all participants felt that flexible hours and access to childcare would increase the opportunities for women in the construction industry (Fielden, Davidson, Gale, & Davey, 2001).…”

Assessing the Capability of Women Construction Project Managers Based on Liberal Feminist Theory

“…According to Fielden et al (2001), contractors discriminate against women. This discrimination is based on the assumption that women go on maternity leave, making them unreliable and present a greater possibility of conflicts because of their family responsibilities.…”

“…Higgin et al (2000) contend that women still carry the primary responsibility for domestic duties in most households. Therefore, males are preferred for construction work, and females are underrepresented in the construction industry (Arditi and Balci, 2009;Dainty et al, 2000;Fielden et al, 2001;Byrne et al, 2005).…”

“…(Contract Journal, 16 May 1996) Studies on liberal feminist theory focusing on equal employment opportunity have been conducted in various aspects, such as gender, age, and race (Humphries and Grice, 1995;French and Strachan, 2009;Wickham et al, 2008;Knowles, 1993;Thomas, 1990). Scholars such as Fielden et al (2001), Dainty et al (2001), and Greed (2000) discuss the issue of equality in terms of senior-level advancement and work…”