Women and trade union membership in a European perspective – are times changing?

• In Event: Labor and Labor Movements Section Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Roundtable 6: Unionization, Collective Bargaining, and Worker Organization

Abstract

This paper examines gender differences in trade union membership across European countries, with a particular focus on whether and how women’s participation in trade unions has changed over time. Using data from the European Social Survey (ESS), rounds 6–10 (2012–2020), the analysis covers 15 European countries representing different labour market regimes and systems of industrial relations. The paper addresses two central questions: to what extent do women and men differ in their levels of trade union membership across Europe, and to what extent can observed gender differences be explained by gendered labour market positions.

Methodologically, the study combines country-specific logistic regression models with a Karlson–Holm–Breen (KHB) decomposition to distinguish between level differences in unionization and the mechanisms underlying gender gaps. The results show substantial cross-national variation. In several countries, particularly in the Nordic region, women’s unionization rates equal or exceed those of men, while in others—especially in parts of Southern and Continental Europe—men remain more likely to be union members. The KHB analysis demonstrates that gender differences are often shaped by women’s and men’s unequal distribution across labour market characteristics such as sector, working time, establishment size and occupational position, although the direction and magnitude of these effects vary markedly across countries.

The paper argues that traditional industrial relations explanations, while important, are insufficient on their own. Drawing on gender theory, the analysis highlights how gendered organizational structures, labour market institutions and household arrangements condition women’s opportunities for union membership. The findings underscore the need to integrate gender-theoretical perspectives more systematically into comparative research on trade unionism.

Author

• Carsten S. Jensen, University of Copenhagen