Shaping Union and Gender Identities: A Case Study of Women‐Only Trade Union Courses

Abstract

In the context of efforts to revitalize unions and the acknowledged need to widen participation within trade unions, this paper argues that women-only trade union education acts as a vehicle for increasing women's participation and for improving their experiences of unions. Drawing on a qualitative research study of women-only courses in two large male-dominated British trade unions, the findings indicate that such courses provide the conditions for women to question, reinforce or transform their social identities and thereby can lead to greater union identification and participation. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd/London School of Economics 2004.

The influences on women joining and participating in unions

“…Thus, Mandy had made sense of her experiences retrospectively, drawing on the gendered and equality discourses of the women's course. There were many other examples of women saying they had found women's courses 'enlightening' and many became more active as a consequence (see Kirton and Healy, 2004). Therefore, a gendered trade union practice had been pivotal in collectivising some women.…”

Submerged discontent and patterns of accommodation: a case study of doctors' pay in two public hospitals in China

“…In general, educating members is ‘an important step in fostering the collectivist outlook that is often a critical precursor to unionization’ (Fiorito et al ., : 630). Training is a potentially powerful vehicle to transform unions into more inclusive organizations with the ability to conceptualize a broader set of collective interests (Kirton and Healey, : 320). As its official said during the interview, the CMDA had called for educating doctors with methods of avoiding unnecessary medical disputes and protecting their own legal rights.…”

The British Journal of Industrial Relations: Position and Prospect

“…The Journal has published a number of studies of women workers and trade unions and anticipates more articles dealing with this issue (e.g. Kirton and Healy 2004;Parker 2002;Walters 2002). It would also welcome submissions that deal with other identity groups and consider non-traditional forms of representation, as outlined above.…”