Towards Equality and Renewal: Women’s Groups, Diversity and Democracy in British Unions

Abstract

Discussion of union equality and democracy usually locates women's group (WG) organizing as a special representative form within unions. This study focuses on the extent to which WGs themselves address the interests of diverse constituent groups. Data from a national survey of Trades Union Congress affiliates were used to map WGs across unions and analyse the attention they give to group diversity relative to gender in pursuit of equality and better interest representation. It emerged that most members belong to unions where WGs tackle diversity to some extent. Implications for WG and union renewal strategy, research and theory are examined.

Anatomy of women’s participation in small professional unions

“…Interestingly, with regard to the other strategies, there is no clear relationship in these unions between female membership share, women's participation in key national structures and usage of key gender equality strategies. Still, given the resource requirements of some of the strategies, perhaps it is more surprising to see them so widely adopted in these small professional unions (see Parker, 2006). Napo's adoption of GE strategies is discussed in more detail later.…”

“…Feminist authors have contributed a specific focus on women to this now large literature, arguing that changes to the socio-economic landscape have rendered women a potential source of members and leaders of unprecedented size (Briskin, 2013;Kirton and Healy, 2013;Parker, 2006Parker, , 2009. Most contemporary research on women and unions internationally 1 investigates the largest unions, which generally represent workers in a multiplicity of job groups and occupations, and often various industries/ sectors (e.g.…”

The Gender Gap in Union Leadership in Australia: A Qualitative Study

“…More recent research has begun to analyse the ways in which equity structures have operated and have assessed their successes, and shortcomings, relative to their mission, to build women's participation (e.g. Parker, 2006Parker, , 2009. Much of this research has been concerned not only with gender and trade unionism, but also with debates about the potential for union renewal in the neo-liberal environment (for early work, see Cobble, 1993;Conrow, 1991;Green and Tilly, 1987).…”

“…It should be noted here that a key criticism from many scholars with an interest in gender and trade unionism is that focusing on just one end of the leadership spectrum, for example, on the women who have 'made it' into the leadership structures of unions, does not explain the processes that construct women's disadvantage within unions. Indeed, some scholars have argued that an excessive research focus on the full-time paid hierarchical structures of unions may serve to render women's other (lay, workplace-based) leadership 'invisible' (Briskin, 2002;Parker, 2003Parker, , 2006.…”

Women and the Modernization of British Trade Unions: Meanings, Dimensions and the Challenge of Change

“…Extensive research has explored the way in which women's groups and structures may contribute to union change and transformation (Colgan and Ledwith, 2000;Dickens, 2000;Kirton and Healy, 1999;Parker, 2006Parker, , 2009Parker and Douglas, 2010). Women's groups are defined as 'collective spaces for women within the union setting that enable them to develop their strengths, advance their concerns and access empowering positions' (Parker, 2009: 78), based on the premiss that women have common concerns as a disadvantaged social group that require a 'separate space' (Parker, 2002).…”