Overview
In 2018, the Victorian Government announced the provision of '$0.5 million to work with the Building Industry Consultative Committee (BICC) to increase the proportion of women working in the construction industry.' This funding focused on increasing female participation in trades and semi-skilled roles as it is an area that has proven to be highly resistant to change.
Based on a commissioned research report and industry consultation, the BICC developed the Building Gender Equality: Victoria's Women in Construction Strategy 2019–2022. A plan of action was developed, and an Implementation Advisory Team was established to oversee a program of work led by different industry parties on behalf of the BICC. The University of Melbourne was engaged to lead the evaluation.
Women in Construction Strategy
The summary of relevant research literature (Heap & Borchard-Burns, 2018) revealed three issues that significantly hinder women's attraction, recruitment and retention into construction sitebased roles.
Firstly, there is the inadequate promotion of construction trades to young women, a lack of female role models, plus gendered assumptions by careers teachers.
Secondly, the industry's sexist culture, level of gendered violence, discriminatory recruitment practices and rigid and inflexible work practices disadvantage women.
Thirdly, the work itself can be challenging due to the work's physicality, inappropriate equipment and clothing and lack of adequate bathroom facilities. Women's engagement in every stage of the employment process, from attraction through to recruitment and retention, is affected by these issues. Consequently, the strategy sought to target each as well as leverage change through modifications in procurement practices.
Actions within the strategy included:
- A Careers Day to encourage young women and their careers teachers to consider construction careers.
- The Building Futures website to promote trades and semi-skilled roles.
- A support program for women thinking about a career in construction and seeking work opportunities.
- The development of recruitment standards to promote gender equity.
- Provision of Safe Respectful Workplaces training program.
- Work with industry and government parties to develop model EBA clauses, amend the Amenities Code and develop a Code of Conduct on appropriate and inclusive behaviours and a complaints process that protects confidentiality.
Program evaluation
The key evaluation question orienting this evaluation was: How did the program actions support the attraction, recruitment and retention of women in on site-construction roles in Victoria?
Qualitative and quantitative research approaches were deemed appropriate; however, the evaluation adopted a primarily qualitative approach due to the context and timing. Data collection used specific protocols and included key informant interviews, participant interviews, observations, surveys and focus groups, with interviews and focus groups transcribed verbatim.
Participants included female school students, careers teachers, female trainees, and industry representatives. Data analysis was conducted at both the individual and cohort level, with qualitative and quantitative data analysed separately and, where appropriate, brought together to produce themes. Overall, the analyses were relatively simple and straightforward, given the sample sizes.
Findings and recommendations
The Women in Construction Strategy achieved its goals. While the original scope of work was affected by the COVID-19 situation, modifications were made, and the intended parties received the various pilot programs well. The programs enacted as a part of this strategy have been beneficial in increasing the knowledge of young women looking to enter careers in the construction industry, supporting those in the industry or encouraging cultural change in the workplaces women inhabit. Therefore, their continuation is supported so that longer-term effects can transpire. The findings for each program are outlined below, with further recommendations included in the body of the report.
The Careers Day
The Careers Day was well received and was, overall, a positive experience for the students and careers teachers who attended. It was well planned, organised and delivered. The hands-on activities, the inclusion of female presenters and informal presentation style motivated and engaged both students and careers teachers. The young female trainees involved demonstrated that a successful career was possible. Due to this success, the BICC should encourage similar events to be conducted in the future.
Key recommendations:
- A series of similar events using hands-on activities and small groups is recommended. This immersive experience was found to be engaging.
- The inclusion of women, and younger women in particular, via their presentations and involvement as demonstrators resonated well, perhaps because it was further confirmation that a successful career is possible for women.
- Further signposting, visual materials (videos and images) and presenter training are recommended to enhance future Careers Days.
- The differing needs of the students and careers teachers should be considered more, and different take-home materials developed for both groups.
The Building Futures website
The Building Futures website launch demonstrated that both students and careers teachers considered the materials appealing and worthy of further exploration. It was referred to as an evolving platform at the launch, and further work has occurred since this time.
Young trainees were selected for the focus group due to their recent involvement in seeking construction career information. They found the images of young construction women motivating and bold graphics were appealing. While not explicit, the website was more clearly about construction site roles than professional roles for women. Overall, the website was found to be an accessible and helpful tool.
Key recommendations:
- The website should include more visual than text-heavy materials, more information on different construction roles and pathways, and more Victorian-specific training information.
- Relate beyond school-aged women to career changers.
- Include curated links to further resources.
The support program
The program was regarded as beneficial by the women who participated, providing crucial emotional support and career guidance which assisted them to persevere in finding suitable employment. The women interviewed were resilient, had qualifications, and liked the industry, but most could not gain employment or change into jobs better suited to their needs and interests.
The plight of older women seeking to enter the industry was of concern as they often missed out on roles to younger women or failed to get the work experience needed to support their qualifications.
The program was impacted by employers' non-engagement and the reduced number of roles available due to the pandemic. This program could become a unique scheme in which women gain support, advice, career guidance, work experience, and employment as well as act as a valuable resource for employers proactively seeking female workers.
Key recommendations:
- Future iterations of the program would benefit from increased employers' engagement, including support from labour-hire companies.
- Career guidance around career pathways, tickets and resume building should be expanded in future programs, but this should not discount the value of both practical and emotional support.
- Lack of work experience negatively affects trained women from gaining employment, so future programs should explore how this can be secured so women gain more stable and secure employment.
Recruitment standards
Recruitment practices in construction are more informal than in other industries, which is known to disadvantage women. The recruitment standards took on the dual undertaking of introducing a more formalised HR approach to recruitment and addressing gender equity.
Interviews with company representatives responsible for hiring found that while most were supportive of efforts to improve gender equity, companies were not fully supportive of the standards in their current form, and the planned testing of the standards in the industry is supported. Their evaluation of both the effectiveness and ease of implementation of the standards was not high, but it is noted that responses may have been affected by a defensive stance taken to their current practices.
The ability of smaller companies to comply with the standards as they stand is uncertain. Companies considered the standards unnecessarily complex and difficult to fully comprehend, with a part of this related to their unfamiliarity with HR terminology, complexity and the number of activities. The potential for backlash or implementation to become a superficial effort was suggested. However, testing within industry, modification and provision of company resources as planned would be welcomed by many supportive companies.
Key recommendations:
- The planned work in this area is justified. This evaluation would recommend that the current documentation be revised using simplified language, modified activities, and better consideration of smaller organisations.
- It is also recommended that the activities/tasks be more precise and accountable and the planned resources tailored to suit companies of all sizes.
- Senior appointments, internal promotions, project-based staff assignments and casual labour-hire company recruitment should be explicitly addressed.
- Staging of implementation or different rating categories may assist, recognise and incentivise companies at different stages of their gender equity journey and improve the longer-term impact of the standards and guidelines.
Safe Respectful Workplace training
The Safe Respectful Workplace training was thoughtfully devised, carefully organised and well regarded by participants and the company involved. The focus on continual improvement in developing the training, building participants' understanding and using activities and case studies engaged the audience and deepened awareness.
The adoption of an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) approach to gendered violence resonated well. At the end of the 3-hour training, all participants understood gendered violence better and expressed more confidence in dealing with the topic.
Recommendations:
- This training is of value, and ways to expand it to other construction companies and worksites should be sought. The smaller group approach and use of case studies worked well.
- It is recommended that future iterations be improved with extra time and expanded training for site-based managers and those directly supervising female workers.
- Take-home resources could enhance the longer-term value of the training.
Procurement
Due to the addition of new clauses in the EBA, women now have greater rights in respect to a workplace free from sexual harassment, discrimination and bullying, flexible work arrangements, and improved amenities and protections. These changes have been enabled through collaboration between the unions and employers (including the MBV).
While some of these provisions were previously provided (within the National Employment Standards, the law and compliance codes), these new clauses highlight their importance and availability to those in the construction industry. These changes represent welcomed progress in this area; however, it must be noted that they are only relevant to those covered by the EBA.
Therefore, further work in this area is needed to extend these rights to all women in the industry. Finally, the development of the Building Equality - Code of Respect for Women (‘Respect Code’) and the Building Equality Policy (BEP) are very beneficial initiatives for reinforcing the safety and respect that must be afforded to women in the workplace, as well as providing a crucial framework through which women’s representation in the industry can increase.
Conclusion
The Women in Construction Strategy has effectively achieved its goals within the three intervention points: attraction, recruitment, and retention. The original program of work was affected by the COVID-19 situation, and modifications were made to address the pandemic. Each of the actions was well devised and received by participants and industry stakeholders, and their value was recognised, suggesting future iterations could have a longer-term effect on the number of women regarding construction as a place to be and a place they could stay.
The pilot programs enacted as a part of this strategy have been beneficial in increasing the knowledge of young women looking to enter careers in the construction industry, supporting those in the industry and encouraging cultural change in the workplaces men and women inhabit. Young women, who had an interest in construction, felt that they could pursue a rewarding career within the industry.
When perceived career options are coupled with an increased awareness of opportunities, personalised support and specific actions that address gendered biases, they foster improved representation and inclusion of women in the industry.
As cultural change is a slow process, it is essential that women are supported in their employment journey through a dedicated support program and encouraged to participate using fairer recruitment practices, supportive government policies and industry agreements.
It is recommended that all elements of this program be refined, maintained, and expanded in the future until the number of women reaches a greater critical mass. While further revision and tailoring are required, and these are outlined in each program evaluation, elements used to incentivise companies to act would be beneficial to encourage further change occurring in this space.
Construction, by its nature, is based on competition, so harnessing this tendency could help drive the industry to become more inclusive and improve the representation of women and other minorities. The success of the strategies signals promise concerning the attraction, recruitment and retention of women and improving gender equity within the construction industry.
Download a copy of the evaluation report
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