Barrett, J (2020) Choose your future: A feminist perspective on Construction 4.0 as techno-utopia or digital dystopia. Proceedings of Institution of Civil Engineers: Management, Procurement and Law, 173(4), pp. 153-157. ISSN 17514304
Abstract
In 2017, the Chancellor of the Exchequer launched the UK Industrial Strategy, inviting society to 'choose the future'. By way of government support for and investment in digital innovation, particularly in the construction industry and public infrastructure, the strategy was aimed at stimulating the UK's industrial productivity and wealth. This paper examines the UK Industrial Strategy by applying it within the context of the utopian/dystopian literature genre and through a feminist lens. The paper finds that the strategy looks set to deliver outcomes similar to the themes of the dystopian literature genre, which imagine that technological progress can be achieved only at the expense of social equity, suggesting that the currently gendered idea of Construction 4.0 could exacerbate current gender divisions and inequalities that currently blight the construction industry. Given more balanced strategic support and investment, Construction 4.0 might actually, in a new reality, offer opportunities to resolve issues of gender equity in the industry. The paper concludes with a timely call to researchers and industry professionals to intersect gender inclusivity across all aspects of future research, innovation and strategy in relation to Construction 4.0, so that the chosen future will support the careers and contributions of all genders that choose to participate in it.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building information modelling (BIM); information technology; management |
| Index terms: | society, gender equity, strategy, career, information technology, public infrastructure, government support, building information modelling, construction 4.0, productivity, inequality, construction industry |
| Subjects: | government bodies, computing systems, management, professional development, sociology, industry analysis, infrastructure and transport systems, information systems, digital engineering, social justice, communities and social development |
| Topics: | Ethics, Engineering Principles, Digital Applications, Governance, Stakeholder Management, Information Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy |
| 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