The capability set of female QSs represents their freedom to pursue their desired outcomes (or functionings). This occurs by women first acquiring, and then combining, relevant capabilities within the set. The more capabilities they acquire enables pursuit of a greater range of outcomes. In the CA, outcomes are not evaluated as more or less important to one another because, as established in Chapter Six, goals are individual and changeable (Sen,
Resources
•Personal (including aspirations) •Social •Organisational
Conversion
Factors
•Personal •Social •Organisational •CulturalCapabilities
•To be free from harassment and bullying To have educational opportunities •To have equal employment/progression To have mental well-being and
opportunities support
•To have respect, self-confidence and self-esteem To have social interaction
•To have adaptability To have time autonomy
•To have work autonomy To have travel autonomy
•To have a voice
Outcomes /
aspirations
•Gaining qualifications •Hierarchical progression •WLB •Happiness176 1992, 1999, 2009). This issue differentiates the CA from other career frameworks, such as traditional, protean or boundaryless careers, Preference Theory (Hakim, 1996) or Human Capital Theory (Becker, 1994) as these either do not allow for changing aspirations or there is a heavy focus on acquiring resources without consideration of their conversion into
freedoms. Evaluating outcomes does not reflect the inequalities that have been overcome in their acquisition. For example, Bryony’s achievement in reaching Salary Band Three does not reflect her line manager’s refusal to facilitate her degree or that Penny’s aspiration for WLB is an active choice rather than a failed aspiration for hierarchical progression. In conjunction with other CA research (e.g. Walker and Unterhalter, 2007; Hart, 2008; 2012; Holborough, 2015), capabilities are also neither evaluated nor ranked.
The capabilities that comprise the hypothetical list established in Chapter Four either apply mainly to intrinsic aspirations (i.e. those which are subjective, such as desiring WLB) or mainly to extrinsic aspirations (i.e. those which are objective, such as aspiring to hierarchical progression). Several are ‘core’ capabilities, applying to all aspirations (e.g. freedom from harassment and bullying). These are analysed in section 9.3, but first Table 11 (below) presents the capability set of female QSs and the aspirations to which they are most relevant.
Capability Aspiration
To be free from harassment and bullying All
To be supported at work All
To have adaptability All
To have a voice All
To be treated with respect All
To have educational opportunities Gain qualifications
To seek employment or promotion on an equal basis with others
Hierarchical progression
To have social interaction WLB and happiness
To have time autonomy WLB and happiness
To have autonomy WLB and happiness
To have travel autonomy WLB and happiness
Table 11: Capabilities and associated aspirations
This capability set enables female QSs to pursue any of the identified aspirations but has developed from the hypothetical list in section 4.4.3. This satisfies Sen’s (2009) assertion that any capability set should be context dependent and subject to public reasoning.
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9.2.1 How has the capability set developed?
Table 12, below, compares the theoretical list of capabilities established in section 4.4.2 to the final capability set achieved following analysis of interview and questionnaire survey data:
Hypothetical capability Final Capability
To be free from harassment and bullying To be free from harassment and bullying To have educational opportunities To have educational opportunities To seek employment on an equal basis
with others
To seek employment / promotion on an equal basis with others
To be supported at work To be supported at work
To have autonomy To have autonomy
To have social interaction To have social interaction
To have adaptability To have adaptability
To carry out domestic work and non- market care
To have time autonomy
To have travel autonomy To have travel autonomy
To have a voice To have a voice
To be treated with respect To be treated with respect
Table 12: Comparison of the hypothetical list of capabilities (from section 4.5.2) and the final capability set
The research findings demonstrate that the hypothetical list differs only slightly from the lived reality of female QSs. Only two capabilities have changed, and then only their titles. The hypothetical capability of ‘to seek employment on an equal basis with others’ has changed to ‘to seek employment or promotion on an equal basis with others’ and the hypothetical
capability of ‘to carry out domestic work and non-market care’ does not necessarily apply to all female QSs all the time, whereas ‘having time autonomy’ does. Further, having control over their time enables female QSs to balance the three arenas identified in Figure Two. The process of developing the capability list in the context of the research complies with both Sen’s (2009) assertion that the list should depend on the context and also with the first point of Robeyns’ (2003; 2005b) methodology - that the list should be explicit, discussed and defended. It also demonstrates that the method used to compile the hypothetical list, of analysing previously published lists to select the appropriate capabilities, was judicious.
Moving from the hypothetical list to establishing the final capability set is a result of analysing the aspirations, capabilities and conversion factors of female QSs in the case-study, and in the wider construction industry, as well as obtaining input from representatives of a range of construction organisations. The hypothetical list provided the framework for data collection and analysis, one which also allowed for additional factors to be considered. It also satisfies the following:
178 • Objective Four: to determine how inequalities in the structure and culture of the UK
construction industry impact female QSs’ career development;
• Research question Four: using the framework of the CA, what is the capability set that enables female QSs to pursue their aspirations;
• Research question Five: what are the structural and cultural factors within the construction industry that influence female QSs’ ability to acquire relevant capabilities;
• Research proposition Five: combinations of capabilities within female QSs’ capability set enables them to pursue any stated aspiration;
• Research proposition Six: female QSs’ ability to acquire the necessary capabilities is impacted by the structure and culture of the construction industry.
The chapter continues by determining how acquiring particular combinations of capabilities determines the career pathways of female QSs.