Women union leaders

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Women union leaders
Dr Rae Cooper University of Sydney r.cooper_at_econ.u
syd.edu.au
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Women and men (union density) 1971-2006
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Male and female share of union membership 1986,
1996, 2006.
1986
1996
2006
Source ABS 6310.0, 2006 ABS 6325.0 Aug 1996
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The 5 largest ACTU affiliates

• SDA
• ANF
• AEU
• CPSU
• AMWU

4/5 have more female than male members
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Typical unionists?
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Women in Australian leadership (what we know
already)

• Women are more likely to take up honorary
  positions than full-time paid officer positions.
• Women are more likely to be employed in
  specialist officer positions than in generalist
  roles.
• Women are more likely to take up appointed rather
  than elected positions.
• In short, the less power a position has, the more
  likely it is that a women will hold it.

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Women union leaders study

• Construct a gender profile of industrial staff
  and leadership of unions in NSW
• Investigate the extent to which women are
  represented in leadership positions within unions
  in NSW
• Understand the career trajectories of women
  within unions in NSW
• Identify the barriers to women in entering and
  progressing in union leadership positions as well
  as the facilitative conditions which may
  encourage womens advancement to, and within,
  leadership positions
• Analyse how the under-representation of women in
  unions is understood and explained by union
  officials and leaders (not only by women leaders
  but by male leaders as well and by more junior
  women union staff)
• Investigate the implications of womens position
  in the leadership of unions for the work of
  unions (for instance for collective bargaining
  agendas, overall union goals and internal
  structures).

1 The study focuses up
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Method

• Mixed method (ie quant / qual)
• Phase 1
• Profile of gender in unions
• Interviews and focus groups with
• women ex-leaders
• current women leaders and leadership track
  women
• early career union women
• male leaders and leadership track men
• Phase 2
• Surveys

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Why does all of this matter? (for unions)

• The right thing to do?
• The face of unionism is changing, (arguably) the
  face of union leadership should reflect this
• Women offer huge potential for unions (members,
  activists, leaders)

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