Çınar, S (2020) Construction labour, subcontracting and masculinity: "Construction is a man's job". Construction Management and Economics, 38(3), pp. 275-290. ISSN 01446193
Abstract
This study examines how construction workers construct their male identity on the basis of their job requirements. A qualitative field research comprising in-depth interviews was conducted with 32 construction workers in Diyarbakır to examine subcontracting in Turkey’s construction sector. The findings show that by defining construction labour in terms of physical capacity, an outcome of the labour conditions shaped by the practice of subcontracting, construction work have become naturalised as a man’s job. The findings also illustrate how construction produces different masculinities that intersect with the understanding of working class shaped by the role of men being the head of the family rather than a single notion of manhood shaped by physical working conditions. Nevertheless, the male worker culture that feeds off different masculinities still retains the power to dominate and exclude women as workers from the construction site, e.g. through means of sexual harassment.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | gender; masculinity; subcontracting; Turkish construction |
| Index terms: | construction worker, working conditions, construction labour, identity, women, construction work, subcontracting, Turkey, construction sector, construction site, interview, masculinity |
| Subjects: | organization, data collection methods, practitioner, work location, operations management, management, Geography, employment law, sociology, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Project Management, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Legal Issues, Supply Chain Management, Site Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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