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Designing robust and revisable policies for gender equality: lessons from the Australian construction industry

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  • Natalie Galea
  • Abigail Powell
  • Martin Loosemore
  • Louise Chappell

Abstract

The construction industry remains the most male dominated sector in Australia. Several decades of formal gender equality initiatives by government and business have failed to bring about any meaningful change to the hierarchical and numerical representation of women in the sector. Drawing on new institutionalism, particularly the concepts of 'robustness' and 'revisability', the nature and intent of formal policies and programs that impact on gender equality are analysed in two large Australian multinational construction firms. Through in-depth interviews with senior management and a document analysis of formal policies, it is concluded that gender equality initiatives and broader policies are primarily focused on increasing the numbers of women in construction rather than addressing gender practices and outcomes. These policies lack many of the qualities of robustness and revisability, which impacts on their capacity to genuinely challenge the gendered norms, practices and narratives of the sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Natalie Galea & Abigail Powell & Martin Loosemore & Louise Chappell, 2015. "Designing robust and revisable policies for gender equality: lessons from the Australian construction industry," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(5-6), pages 375-389, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:conmgt:v:33:y:2015:i:5-6:p:375-389
    DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2015.1042887
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Giliberto Capano & Jun Jie Woo, 2017. "Resilience and robustness in policy design: a critical appraisal," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 50(3), pages 399-426, September.
    2. Fanny Salignac & Natalie Galea & Abigail Powell, 2018. "Institutional entrepreneurs driving change: The case of gender equality in the Australian construction industry," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 43(1), pages 152-169, February.
    3. Natalie Galea & Abigail Powell & Martin Loosemore & Louise Chappell, 2020. "The gendered dimensions of informal institutions in the Australian construction industry," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(6), pages 1214-1231, November.
    4. Natalie Galea & Abigail Powell & Fanny Salignac & Louise Chappell & Martin Loosemore, 2022. "When Following the Rules Is Bad for Wellbeing: The Effects of Gendered Rules in the Australian Construction Industry," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 36(1), pages 119-138, February.
    5. Vera Hoelscher & Ratna Khanijou & Daniela Pirani, 2023. "Changing informal institutions via mimesis: Gender equality in marriage proposals," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 52-67, January.
    6. Donna Bridges & Elizabeth Wulff & Larissa Bamberry, 2023. "Resilience for gender inclusion: Developing a model for women in male‐dominated occupations," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 263-279, January.
    7. Liyaning (Maggie) Tang & Shaleeza Sohail & Emma Shorthouse & Larissa Sullivan & Matthew Williams, 2022. "Put Gender on the Tender in Australian Public Projects," World, MDPI, vol. 3(3), pages 1-11, September.
    8. Wendy O’Brien & Clare Hanlon & Vasso Apostolopoulos, 2023. "Women as leaders in male‐dominated sectors: A bifocal analysis of gendered organizational practices," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(6), pages 1867-1884, November.
    9. Donna Bridges & Larissa Bamberry & Elizabeth Wulff & Branka Krivokapic‐Skoko, 2022. "“A trade of one's own”: The role of social and cultural capital in the success of women in male‐dominated occupations," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 371-387, March.
    10. Fatma Lestari & Riza Yosia Sunindijo & Martin Loosemore & Yuni Kusminanti & Baiduri Widanarko, 2020. "A Safety Climate Framework for Improving Health and Safety in the Indonesian Construction Industry," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-20, October.
    11. Zhang, Yixiang & Fu, Bowen, 2023. "Social trust contributes to the reduction of urban carbon dioxide emissions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    12. Natalie Galea & Louise Chappell, 2022. "Male‐dominated workplaces and the power of masculine privilege: A comparison of the Australian political and construction sectors," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5), pages 1692-1711, September.

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