The Making of Women Trade Unionists

In what will be essential reading for all industrial relations scholars, Gill Kirton considers the social construction of women's trade union participation in the context of male dominated trade unions. Exploring the making and progress of women's trade union careers, this book locates the issues within the context of their experiences of three interlocking social institutions - the union, work and family. The book examines how and why women embark on trade union careers, the social processes which shape women's gender and union identities and the combined influences of union/work/family contexts on the trajectory of women's union careers. Additionally, the book offers a historical overview of the development of women's trade union education and separate organizing, with original analysis and historical data.

Gill Kirton is Senior Lecturer in Employment Relations in the School of Business and Management at Queen Mary, University of London, UK. As a researcher she is part of Queen Mary's Centre for Research in Equality and Diversity. She has published a number of journal articles, book chapters and papers, on topics ranging from women and trade unionism to gender and race in employment and diversity management.

Contents: Preface; Theoretical background; Women and trade unions: an overview; Women's trade unionism in historical context; Educating women trade unionists; Starting a trade union career; The shaping of women's trade union careers; The making of women's trade union careers; Making sense of women's trade union careers; Appendix: research methods; Bibliography; Index.