Institutional entrepreneurs driving change: The case of gender equality in the Australian construction industry

Fanny Salignac, Natalie Galea and Abigail Powell
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Fanny Salignac: Centre for Social Impact, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Natalie Galea: Faculty of Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Abigail Powell: Centre for Social Impact, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Australian Journal of Management, 2018, vol. 43, issue 1, 152-169

Abstract: Taken-for-granted rules are difficult to change. The Australian construction industry is one example, where despite considerable attempts at regulating gender equality by government and others, the industry remains steadfastly male dominated. This article investigates the drivers (i.e. why) and processes (i.e. how) of change with regard to gender equality in the workplace. Using institutional entrepreneurship, we provide insight into the change towards gender equality in the Australian construction industry. We collect data from two Australian construction companies and, drawing on interviews conducted with business leaders, look at how new meanings around gender equality and diversity are negotiated. We find that while gender equality is an important point of focus for both companies, discrepancies remain between perceptions and reality as well as people’s level of readiness. We conclude with implications for theory and future research.

Keywords: Australian construction industry; discourse analysis; gender diversity; gender equality; institutional entrepreneurship; institutional theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L26 L74 M14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:ausman:v:43:y:2018:i:1:p:152-169

DOI: 10.1177/0312896217705179

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