ABSTRACT
In recent years, the majority of union movements in Europe have experienced a decline in density levels and often also a decrease in membership numbers. For many unions, this decline presents a major challenge. Decreasing membership threatens unions’ position as influential political and economic actors, and ultimately, their viability as organisations. As more and more women join the labour force, it is frequently argued that in order to meet this challenge, to reverse their decline and to enter into a new phase of ‘revitalisation’ or ‘renewal’, unions have to find ways to recruit and integrate more women into their organisations (Colgan and Ledwith 2002a; Foley and Baker 2009; Kirton and Healy 1999; Yates 2006).
