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The Purpose Of Examining The Primary Research Used In This Paper Is To Gain A ...

The purpose of examining the primary research used in this paper is to gain a broader perspective of attitudes in the profession. The paper is a good example of the stage which contemporary research is at - as a result of the last ten years of campaigning.
Questionnaire Design
The questionnaire was designed to expand upon the female staff questionnaire used by Hill McGlynn and attempts to establish in more detail women's views on gender equality in the workplace. It was also designed to be a point of comparison and a source of conclusions for the project. Thus it was decided to question fifteen graduates from the disciplines of Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying; Architecture; and Structural Engineering about possible ways to better the relationships with their male counterparts in the working environment. These subjects were chosen because they are competitive and require extensive training, which could be a potential deterrent to women. The sample was chosen in order to gain perspectives from women who were new to the workforce - different to Hill McGlynn's sample of which only 9% of women had worked in the industry for up to a year. A younger sample was necessary as this study suggests that it is at this stage of employment, and during university education, where more effort is needed to combat prejudice.Respondents were asked seven questions, and were asked to fill in their answers and return electronically.
Chapter One
Literature Review
1.1 Women in Construction: a brief history

Up until the 1960's women who entered the construction industry were considered to be ‘exceptional.'12 (Brion, 1995, p.192.) Things began to change after the second wave of feminism, although it was a slow process. A letter entitled ‘Even brighter girls' put the case for women surveyors and describes current attitudes, ‘surveyors nodding and winking at the mere mention of women, and no doubt falling off ladders at the flick of a mini-skirt.'13 (Smith, 1967 - quoted from Greed 1991, p.78).
The seventies saw legislative acts passed such as the 1970 Equal Pay act; the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act; and in 1986 the Equal Opportunities Commission was formed14 (Graft-Johnson et al, 2003). Enid Harwood, the first and only woman president of the Faculty of Architects and surveyors between 1987-8, commented on the changing dynamics of the surveying industry, saying that a ‘growing commercialism is blowing away the restrictive practices of a once privileged age,'15 (Harwood, 1987 - quoted from Greed, p.44). For women entering the construction industry today the shadow of the ‘privileged age' still hangs over professions such as Architecture and Surveying.


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