Duncan, R; Neale, R H and Bagilhole, B M (1999) Equal opportunities and the reconciliation of work and family within the construction process. In: Hughes, W (ed.) Proceedings of 15th Annual ARCOM Conference, 15-17 September 1999, Liverpool, UK.
Abstract
In 1996 the Latham Working Group Eight (WG8) report criticized the construction industry for its poor equal opportunities record. Since the publication of the report, a significant amount of research has been conducted within the industry on equal opportunities. Most of this work has concentrated on women, and little attention has been paid to the circumstances of other under-represented groups such as ethnic minorities, or the issues affecting disabled workers, both employed and seeking work within the industry. Furthermore, the issue of creating balance and harmony between employees' work and home life (reconciliation of work and family) has also been relatively ignored. This paper discusses the meaning of the terms “equal opportunities” and “reconciliation of work and family” and the ways in which the industry could benefit from improvements in their implementation. The paper also discusses the findings of preliminary research by the authors, which was undertaken to establish the awareness and knowledge of, the legislation and directives which promote equality of opportunity and the reconciliation of work and family; and the attitudes towards their implementation amongst a sample of construction organizations. The preliminary study has found that, although most of those sampled were aware of both the legislation concerned with and the concepts of equal opportunities and family-friendliness, few of the organizations indicated that they implemented polices which would actively promote either issue. Many respondents also indicated that the nature and culture of the industry prevented it from becoming more equal and family friendly. The paper concludes by setting out an agenda for further research in this field.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | equal opportunities; family friendly |
| Index terms: | publication, implementation, construction industry, women, construction process, ethnic minority, meaning, Latham, becoming, equal opportunity, construction organization, disabled, legislation |
| Subjects: | research dissemination and communication, organization, legal systems, contractual arrangements, management, industry policy reports, demography, sociology, building construction, industry analysis, philosophical process |
| Topics: | Procurement, Governance, Research Practice, Information Management, Business Strategy, Site Management, Human Resources, Ethics, Legal Issues, Urban Studies |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here