Promoting diversity in construction by supporting employees’ work-life balance

Abstract

The construction industry’s poor performance in the areas of equal opportunity and diversity is well documented, as evidenced by the research findings documented throughout this book. Women and ethnic minorities are seriously under-represented among the industry’s workforce (Gale, 1994; Fielden et al., 2001; Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2003). The lack of diversity is likely to be due, in part, to the construction industry’s image as a white, ‘masculine’ work environment, characterized by chaotic and dangerous work practices and high levels of inter-personal conflict. However, there is also evidence that exclusive and discriminatory employment practices prevail. For example, those women ..