ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an analysis of how two large male-dominated British trade unions educate women trade unionists. The unions are MSF and TGWU. The chapter briefly outlines these unions’ approaches to gender equality and the various forms of women’s separate organizing, within which women’s courses can be located. The bulk of the chapter is dedicated to providing an overview of the unions’ systems of education, a discussion of gendered patterns of attendance at mixed-sex courses and an outline of women-only education provision. Five principal data sources are utilised in this chapter: union documents; course monitoring data provided by the unions; interviews with key respondents (the unions’ directors of education, education officers and tutors); observation of courses and surveys of women-only course participants.
