ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses two questions raised by Bachrach and Baratz: how are new sources of power generated, and how do these new sources of power alter political processes and lessen inequality of representation between members? The implementation of UNISON’s three rule-book commitments to gender democracy are reviewed and the one- and two-dimensional views of power are used to indicate how the ideals of the rule book are turned into reality. The chapter returns to the prescriptions for gender democracy derived from the literature and indicates the implications of this study for past and future work. Feminist studies of trade union democracy have shown how elections have tended to favour the interests of privileged groups. The chapter concludes with three key issues that emerge from UNISON’s radical attempts to pursue gender democracy.
