Well-being and productivity in construction industry through gendered lens: a conceptual framework

Construction industry, characterised by its masculine work environment, is notorious for gender imbalance and reluctance to change. Women in construction encounter distinct challenges that adversely affect their health and well-being. While there exists significant research on mental health and well-being of construction workers, these studies often overlook women, focusing primarily on a predominantly male workforce. Women, however, have different stressors, triggers and coping mechanisms as compared to men. Further, despite productivity being a focal point for construction projects, the productivity of white-collar women workers remains understudied. By correlating well-being to productivity, this framework aims to interest the construction organisations and provide a profitable reason (enhanced productivity) to prioritise well-being of women professionals. This paper presents a conceptual framework that explores the intricate relationship between the potential hazards, primary preventive measures, workplace well-being and productivity of professional women in construction industry. By exploring the effect of potential hazards with direct and moderating effects from primary preventive measures on workplace well-being, the framework emphasises the unique risks and need for intervention to enhance the well-being of women. It further explores how employee well-being influences productivity, with mediating effect of the dual components of change in productivity- presenteeism and absenteeism. The gendered lens argues that despite a slow and steady increase in diversity in the construction, it is not yet excluded from gender-based discrimination and stereotypes. Thus, this framework advocates for enhancing workplace well-being of women in construction industry aligning it with industry’s goal of increased productivity.