International Labour Process Conference

Description

The fair work gap: Understanding the gendered experiences of autistic men and women at work

Autistic people experience some of the worst employment outcomes of all disabled people, including the lowest rates of employment, and high levels of underemployment. When in work, autistic people report a range of barriers related to the labour processes of each organisation. Specifically, such barriers, relate to the nature of working environments, how workplaces are physically designed, and human resource management policy and practice. In short, labour processes and the nature of work organisations, disable autistic working people, as they are commonly designed around the needs and expectations of employers who embody neurotypical norms and values. However, how autistic working people are disabled in such situations is gendered. For instance, autistic women may face a range of additional barriers including exclusion from autism inclusion initiatives due to their implicit association to men and masculinities. The current paper aims to address this gap by understanding how ‘fair work’, a framework developed by the Scottish Government to guide high quality employment, is experienced by autistic men and women. The Fair Work Framework (FWF) comprises five components: effective voice, opportunity, security, fulfilment, and respect. This mixed methods study draws on two similarly designed surveys based on the FWF, one of autistic employees and one of employers of autistic employees, and interviews with autistic people and their employers. The surveys yielded 223 usable responses, and 21 autistic people and 5 employers were interviewed. Data revealed that men and women were both satisfied with aspects of their work including autonomy, however, women reported greater dissatisfaction with securing workplace adjustments, relationships with colleagues. In contrast, men were more likely to report challenges surrounding being accepted as an autistic person at work. The qualitative data reveal that women can face additional challenges as they are more likely to receive a diagnosis of autism later in life, which can affect their mental health. There appears to be a fair work gap, with employers failing generally to provide high quality work for autistic people. As such, the fair work gap is gendered, and efforts by employers and governments to create fair work must centre the needs of autistic people recognising that men and women may have different needs at work.

Period	25 Apr 2025
Event type	Conference
Location	Santiago, ChileShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International