Work–family balance in the construction industry: why gender analysis matters to develop sustainable interventions

Abstract

Work–family balance (WFB) in the construction sector has rarely been studied. Hardship, atypical schedules and seasonal work create challenging conditions for parents in this male-dominated industry. Semi-structured interviews with workers (14 men, 6 women) and a survey of 789 on-site workers (85% men, 15% women) were conducted as part of a wider participatory action-research project involving governmental actors. Triangulation of the interview and survey data clarified the influence of quantitative and qualitative workload and of managerial support on work–family conflict. Results also show that male and female workers have differentiated experiences of WF issues and, consequently, develop different WF strategies while pursuing increased flexibility. The stereotyped conception of WF encourages social norms that have various impacts on mothers and fathers working in the industry. Recommendations for a cultural shift are proposed for employers in this industry, marked by a labour shortage and low retention of female workers.

Practitioner summary: This paper provides a gendered analysis of work–family issues among on-site workers in the construction industry. It aims to inform ergonomists and occupational health researchers about the potential of inflexible work designs to convey stereotypes that can impact the sustainability and equity of workplace interventions.

Keywords:

• Male-dominated occupation
• work–family conflict
• supervisor support
• organisational culture
• gendered norms

Acknowledgements

We thank Quebec’s Family Ministry, one of our partners, for its financial support, and the steering committee members for co-constructing this project with us. We also thank all the research participants for their availability and generous input.

Disclosure statement

We acknowledge that this research project is not linked to any financial interest nor has it benefitted from the financial interest that has arisen from its direct application.

Notes

1 The analyses performed (t-test) showed that there was no significant difference between the subgroups, allowing us to group them for analysis.

2 Analysis shows no significant WFC differences regarding age (r = .01, p = .82) or marital status (r = −.04, p = .22). There are no significant FWC differences regarding age (r = −.06, p = .10) but it is worth noting that being single is correlated to having higher FWC (r = −.20, p ≤ .01).

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by the Ministère de la Famille du Québec.