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Men, Women and Unions

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  • Haile, Getinet Astatike

    (University of Nottingham)

Abstract

The paper re-examines the question of why unions might have declined despite the 'influx' of women, their risk-averse constituents, into British workplaces. It argues that given unions' role in minimising risk, membership should have been boosted. The paper reviews different strands of the literature and conducts empirical analyses using panel data from WERS. The results obtained suggest that men have been deserting unions and that there is an inverse link between membership and the share of women in workplaces. The paper ponders if better management of gender relations may improve unions' fate.

Suggested Citation

  • Haile, Getinet Astatike, 2016. "Men, Women and Unions," IZA Discussion Papers 10438, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp10438
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    employer-employee data; union decline; workplace gender composition; Britain;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J82 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Labor Force Composition

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