Transcript Women union leaders Dr Rae Cooper University of Sydney [email protected] Women and men (union density) 1971-20065030101971 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2004

Women union leaders
Dr Rae Cooper
University of Sydney
[email protected]
Women and men (union density) 1971-2006
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1971 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006
Male and female share of union membership 1986, 1996, 2006.
1986
1996
Source: ABS 6310.0, 2006; ABS 6325.0 Aug 1996
2006
The 5 largest ACTU affiliates
1. SDA
2. ANF
3. AEU
4. CPSU
5. AMWU
4/5 have more female
than male members
Typical unionists?
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.
Women union leaders study
1. Construct a gender profile of industrial staff and leadership of unions in
NSW;
2. Investigate the extent to which women are represented in leadership
positions within unions in NSW;
3. Understand the career trajectories of women within unions in NSW;
4. Identify the barriers to women in entering and progressing in union
leadership positions as well as the facilitative conditions which may
encourage women’s advancement to, and within, leadership positions;
5. 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);
6. Investigate the implications of women’s position in the leadership of
unions for the work of unions (for instance for collective bargaining
agendas, overall union goals and internal structures).
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
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)