THE CONSTRUCTION WORKER: THE FUNCTIONS OF THE MEANINGS OF WORK AND MONEY

Abstract

The main objective of this thesis is to investigate what functions the meanings of work and money fulfill in the lives of construction workers. Both are characterized as multidimensional, complex, and dynamic phenomena, requiring an understanding that considers the different aspects of social reality. To achieve this goal, I chose a triangulation method — literature review research, administration of structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The results indicated the importance of integrating different levels of analysis in the understanding of phenomena; the influence of macroeconomic contexts in the production of meanings of work and money; the identification of the functions of these meanings in structuring axes (social insertion-inclusion versus social exclusion; achievement and sense of utility versus resignation), which reflected the contradictions experienced in daily life by these workers, derived from the economic crisis in the sector. New research is suggested in which cultural and historical dimensions are included.