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When Following the Rules Is Bad for Wellbeing: The Effects of Gendered Rules in the Australian Construction Industry

Author

Listed:
  • Natalie Galea

    (UNSW Sydney, Australia)

  • Abigail Powell

    (University of Lincoln, UK)

  • Fanny Salignac

    (Kedge Business School, France)

  • Louise Chappell

    (UNSW Sydney, Australia)

  • Martin Loosemore

    (University of Technology Sydney, Australia)

Abstract

The construction industry is known to be highly masculinised and to have work practices detrimental to employees’ wellbeing. Drawing on feminist institutional theory and a rapid ethnographic approach in two construction multinationals in Australia, we examine the relationship between the gendered nature of construction and workplace wellbeing for professional women and men employed in the industry. The findings reveal that adhering to the gendered ‘rules in use’ in the construction industry is negatively associated with wellbeing and is usually endured in silence. We also identify the ways in which the gendered rules have different effects on the wellbeing of men and women. We conclude that the construction industry is characterised by a set of ‘greedy’ gendered institutions that are inextricably linked to workplace wellbeing for both men and women and that these rules must be broken to improve worker wellbeing.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:36:y:2022:i:1:p:119-138
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017020978914
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. O'Brien, Rosaleen & Hunt, Kate & Hart, Graham, 2005. "'It's caveman stuff, but that is to a certain extent how guys still operate': men's accounts of masculinity and help seeking," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(3), pages 503-516, August.
    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. Fred Sherratt & Peter Farrell & Rod Noble, 2013. "UK construction site safety: discourses of enforcement and engagement," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(6), pages 623-635, June.
    5. 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.
    6. Alexander Styhre, 2011. "The overworked site manager: gendered ideologies in the construction industry," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(9), pages 943-955, May.
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