Bringing Gender to the Forefront of the Trade Union Movement: A Roundtable with Women Labour Union Leaders around the World

Abstract

Solidarity within the labour movement is contingent on the representation of the needs of all labouring members. Therefore, it is essential that women attain positions of leadership within the union in order to represent those interests most salient to female workers. Unfortunately, gendered proportional representation in the union executive has been a historically persistent problem at the global level and women continue to be underrepresented in positions of leadership despite their increasing participation in the labour force. Hence, the following roundtable with women labour union leaders from around the globe illuminates those systemic and institutionalized barriers that prevent women from attaining positions of leadership within the union, while also providing potential solutions to rectify this inequity. The very nature of such a project that draws on the collective knowledge of women union leaders from around the globe can invoke solidarity among those invested in achieving gender equity within unions.