Gender composition and gender representation in local unions: Relationships between women's participation in local office and women's participation in local activities.

Abstract

This study examined the influence of gender features of local union office (N = 37 ) on women's and men's ratings to participate in local activities (N = 414). Gender proportion in local office was indexed by gender composition (the relative proportion of women and men in local office) and by gender representation (the ratio of the proportion of women in local office to the proportion of local women). Women's ratings of their competence and opportunity to participate in local activities were higher in locals with a higher composition of women in office. Similarly, women's ratings of their opportunity and desire to participate were positively related to greater representation of women in office. In contrast, men's ratings were only slightly influenced by these local features but in some cases were negatively affected. The findings are discussed in terms of improving the proportion of women and men in office to enhance women's participation in local activities.