Labor and Gender: Teachers in Comparative Perspective

• In Event: Methodological Innovations in Comparative Research on Labor

Abstract

Existing research has focused on gender gaps in political representation in the presidency, legislature, and cabinet. There is less comparative research on the representation of gender in labor unions. And yet, union leaderships often do a poor job of reflecting the gender composition of the member base. As the labor movement has shifted from blue-collar, industrial unions to public sector workers and service worker in “pink collar” professions, union leaderships often remained male dominated. What explains this gender gap? Why have some unions made progress in recruiting women into union leadership positions? The mismatch between the gendered composition of union leaders vs. rank-and-file members can create significant problems: specifically, whether unions do (or do not) take up certain gendered problems (i.e., equal pay, sexual harassment, family leave).
This paper draws on both qualitative and quantitative data. First, we carry out comparative case studies of gendered representation in the national executive committee of teachers’ unions in Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico. We selected the case of teachers’ unions because typically 2 of 3 teachers are women, but union leaderships have often remained very male dominated. We examine the historical development of these unions to identify factors that explain change over time. Preliminary results suggest that Argentina made significant strides forward, in terms of recruiting women into leadership positions, while Colombia and Mexico lagged behind. Second, we present a statistical analysis of the gendered composition of union locals, examining subnational data for Argentina and Mexico. We explore several hypotheses, including union democracy, political culture, feminist mobilization, and political institutions. Preliminary analysis suggests that union democracy may not be an effective means of improving gendered representation, and that certain organizational practices in unions (i.e., clientelism and factional competition) can prevent women from entering leadership positions. This research contributes to research focused on the intersection of women in politics and labor, and it has broader implications for descriptive and substantive representation.

Author

• Julia Smith Coyoli, Harvard University