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University of Warwick institutional repository: http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of Warwick http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap/71957 This thesis is made available online and is protected by original copyright. Please scroll down to view the document itself. Please refer to the repository record for this item for information to help you to cite it. Our policy information is available from the repository home page. WOMEN'S EQUALITY IN BRITISH UNIONS: THE ROLES AND IMPACTS OF WOMEN'S GROUP ORGANISING Jane Parker Submitted for the degree of PhD University of Warwick Warwick Business School June 2000 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page number ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi ABSTRACT VB LIST OF ACRONYMS IX CHAPTER 1 WOMEN'S EQUALITY IN BRITISH UNIONS: 1 THE ROLE OF WOMEN'S GROUP ORGANISING 1.0 Introduction 1.1 British unions in context 2 1.2 Women and unions 3 Women's union membership and representation 3 Women's position within unions 7 1.3 Explaining union's under-engagement with women 8 Women's labour market position 8 The workplace-domestic nexus 11 Union-centred factors and women's 'nature' 12 Summary 14 1.4 The significance of unions' engagement with women 14 1.5 Improving women's union situation: equality initiatives 17 Integration 'strategies' 18 'Deficit' initiatives 18 Positive action 21 Positive discrimination 24 Women's Groups: definition, types and trends 24 The impact ofpositive measures 29 Positive initiatives and differences between women 33 Towards transformation? 36 Summary 39 1.6 Women's Groups' roles 40 1.7 Study research questions, rationale and contribution 41 1.8 Chapter synopses 44 1.9 Summary 46 CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH DESIGN 48 2.0 Introduction 48 2.1 Philosophical standpoint and the rationale for qualitative 48 inquiry 2.2 Rationale for case inquiry 51 Multiple case studies 53 2.3 Selecting and accessing field sites 55 Unions with Women's Groups 55 Women's Groups and individuals 56 2.4 Pilot studies 58 2.5 Main data collection 58 Semi-structured interviews 59 l Page number Observation 63 Documentation 64 2.6 Data management and analysis 64 General analytic strategy and techniques: 1 65 General analytic strategy and techniques: 2 65 Analytic frameworks 66 A model of union identity 66 An equality typology 72 Operationalising the analytic frameworks 74 Quality of the research design 75 2.7 Reporting on union cases and Women's Groups 78 2.8 Summary 80 CHAPTER 3 LINKING UNION IDENTITY AND 82 WOMEN'S GROUPS 3.0 Introduction 82 3.1 Women's Groups in MSF and USDAW 82 3.2 Connecting union identity and Women's Group 84 arrangements Structure and democracy 84 Union membership and size 84 Organisational arrangements 86 Structural change 88 Mergers 88 Equality initiatives 88 Structural inertia in other union parts 91 Summary 92 Agendas 93 Issue substance 93 Issue priority 94 Issues and context 95 Agenda setting processes 96 Summary 96 Interest representation 97 Spheres of interest 97 Sectoral coverage and types of workers 97 Members' social characteristics 99 Women's membership 99 Women's representation 101 Summary 103 Power 104 Institutional power and degree of centralisation 104 Informal power 106 Politics 107 Resources 108 External links 109 Summary 110 Social processes and modes of operating III Summary 114 II Page number 3.3 Chapter summary 115 CHAPTER 4 WOMEN'S GROUPS IN MSF 120 4.0 Introduction 120 4.1 Women's groups in MSF 120 Assigned roles 120 Location and meeting frequency 123 Size and participants 123 Remit 124 Linkages 125 4.2 Women's Groups in operation 127 National and Regional Women's Sub-Committees 127 'Sameness' equality 127 Agenda 127 Interest representation and power 128 'Difference' equality 131 Agenda 131 Interest representation 132 'Transformational' equality 133 Agenda 133 Power 134 Social processes and modes of operating 135 Black and ethnic minority women's network 136 'Sameness' equality 136 Agenda 136 Interest representation 137 Power 138 'Difference' equality 139 Interest representation 139 'Transformational' equality 139 Agenda 139 Social processes and modes of operating 140 National women's week: negotiating skills course 141 'Sameness' equality 141 Agenda 141 Interest representation 141 'Difference' equality 142 Agenda 142 'Transformational' equality 143 Agenda 143 Power 143 Social processes and modes of operating 144 4.3 Women's Groups' effectiveness 145 Structures and democracy 146 Agenda 147 Interest representation 151 Power 155 Social processes and modes of operating 157 4.4 Summary 159 iii Page number CHAPTER 5 WOMEN'S GROUPS IN USDAW 163 5.0 Introduction 163 5.1 Women's groups in USDA W 163 Assigned roles 163 Location and meeting frequency 165 Size and participants 165 Remit 167 Linkages 167 5.2 Women's Groups in operation 169 Women's Committees and the NCWC 170 'Sameness' equality 170 Agenda 170 Interest representation 172 'L>~ference'equality 177 Agenda 177 Interest representation 179 'Transformational' equality 180 Agenda 180 Power 183 Social processes and modes of operating 184 5.3 Women's Groups' effectiveness 186 Structures and democracy 186 Agenda 189 Interest representation 196 Power 201 Social processes and modes of operating 203 5.4 Summary 206 CHAPTER 6 WOMEN'S GROUPS AND UNION EQUALITY: 210 WHERE TO FROM HERE? 6.0 Introduction 210 6.1 Research aim 1: Union-Women's Group relations 211 Discussion and implications: the significance of union 214 context 6.2 Research aim 2: Women's Group aims - equality through 216 pragmatism? Discussion and implications: the strategic pursuit of 219 equality? 6.3 Research aim 3: Women's Groups' impacts on gender equality 224 Discussion and implications: the significance and 228 limits of WG contributions 6.4 Study limitations and areas for development 234 6.5 Summary and final remarks 238 iv Appendix 1 Preliminary Fieldwork: 241 List of preliminary interview participants from TUe affiliates and the TUe Appendix 2 Main Study Fieldwork: 242 Table 1: Interviewees and semi 242 structured interview schedule Table 2: Non-Participant 245 Observational Activities Table 3: Participant Observational 246 Activities Appendix 3 Sample interview outline and questions 247 BIBLIOGRAPHY 250 LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1 The proportion of female members in the 10 6 largest UK unions Table 1.2 Women in key positions in the 10 largest UK 8 umons Table 1.3 WG types in TUe affiliates 28 Table 3.1 Profile of women in MSF 85 Table 3.2 Profile of women in USDAW 85 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 A model of union dynamics 67 Figure 3.1 MSF's organisational structure 87 Figure 3.2 USDAW' s organisational structure 87 Figure 6.1 A model ofunion-WG relations 216 Figure 6.2 Women's Group equality ideas and their 230 impacts v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The support and enthusiasm of many people helped to shape this study. At the University of Warwick, I would like to thank Professor Linda Dickens for agreeing to supervise the thesis. Her encouragement, support and suggestions were invaluable. Equally, I would like to thank my second supervisor, Doctor Sonia Liff, for her guidance and constructive criticism. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Professor Paul Edwards who provided useful comments on early thesis ideas and drafts, and I am grateful to Doctor Jeremy Waddington for providing union statistics for the research. The empirical investigation of this study would not have been possible without the participation of individuals from the two case unions, MSF and USDAW. I greatly appreciate their assistance, particularly given their hectic schedules. From MSF, I would especially like to thank Anne Gibson (National Officer, Political), and formerly, Barbara Switzer, for welcoming the research and arranging research access opportunities. Sharon Allen (President), Anne Mellor (National Women's Sub Committee Chair) and Amor Jones (Equalities Unit Research Officer) also provided helpful practical assistance and information about the union's women's structure. I am also very grateful to Jenny Scott-Reid (Women's Course Coordinator) for facilitating my participation in a MSF women's week and weekend. From USDAW, I wish to express my gratitude to Bernadette Hillon (National Women's Officer) and Marge Carey (President) for arranging research access and supplying written materials. Nancy Creamer's (Women Department Assistant) help was invaluable for my liaisons with USDAW officials. I am also indebted to others in the unions, too numerous to name, who freely gave their time to take part in interviews, and provided secondary data or other forms of assistance. I should also like to thank those who participated in preliminary fieldwork interviews: Kay Carberry and Jo Morris (TUC Equal Rights Department), John Lally (CATU Education Officer), Val Stansfield (CPSA Equal Opportunities Officer), Sue Ledwith (Principal Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University), Donna Covey (GMB National Officer), Mary Howard and Olwyn Gunn (NASUWT Principal Officers) and Diana Holland (TGWU National Women's Officer). I am also grateful to Megan Dobney (SERTUC Women's Rights Committee Chair) for including questions about women's groups in the SERTUC WRC 1997 survey of women and their unions. Participants at events such as MSF's Annual Conference 1998, the Unions 21 Conference 1999, the Black Workers' TUC Conference 1998 and the TUC Women's Conference 1998 must also be thanked for developing aspects of the study, albeit unwittingly. I would also like to thank those people who made the thesis process an enjoyable one through their friendship and help, in particular, Mark and Elaine (and the 'monsters'), Leticia and Andrew, Anne, Donald, Christina, Noelle and Steve. I am also indebted to my family for their long-term support. Thank you especially, Dad, for encouraging me to pursue what is close to my heart.