Working time, gender and health in the Australian construction industry

Abstract

This paper is focused on relationships between working time, health and gender equality in the Australian construction industry. The structural drivers of working time arrangements in major construction projects are examined, and a conceptual synthesis of Australian and international empirical literature on working time, health and gender equality in construction is outlined. Contractual arrangements, work scheduling, type of role, pay structure and gender all contribute to health and work participation outcomes. Women remain a minority group in construction, and it is contended that long and inflexible hours function as a form of indirect discrimination that reinforces structural barriers to participation. Findings from a programme of research evaluating working time arrangements and reform initiatives in the Australian construction industry over the past two decades are reviewed, including longitudinal studies of work hours on infrastructure projects, alternative work schedule trials and the recent evaluation of an industry initiative. Furthermore, strategies which seek to use procurement to implement structural change in the Australian construction industry to overcome health and gender issues related to working hours are considered. The paper concludes with recommendations acknowledging that working time reform is critical to creating a healthier, more inclusive and sustainable Australian construction workforce.