Women and Trade Unions: A Comparative Study of the UK and France

This book explores the representation of women and their interests in the world of work across four trade unions in France and the UK. Drawing on case studies of the careers of 100 activists and a longitudinal study of the trade unions’ struggle for equal pay in the UK, it unveils the social, organizational, and political conditions that contribute to the reproduction of gender inequalities or, on the contrary, allow the promotion of equality. Guillaume’s nuanced evaluation is a call to redefine the role of trade unions in the delivering of gender equality, contributing to broader debates on the effectiveness of equality policies and the enforcement of equality legislation.

Cécile Guillaume is Reader in Employment Relations at Surrey Business School. She has written widely on gender equality in the trade union context and led numerous research projects investigating how trade unions have mobilized legal or non legal repertoires of action to advance gender equality in the workplace.