ABSTRACT
The rule-book prescriptions for proportionality and fair representation support the generation of new sources of authority for individual women as they gain access to representative structures. Using material collected from the constitutions and elections of five mainstream committees, this chapter identifies how these new sources of authority evolved post-merger and how they altered the political process for men and women. It illustrates that, the creation of new representative structures provided opportunities for activists and officers to mobilise bias for or against particular democratic practices. The chapter begins by describing the structure of the National Executive Council (NEC) and indicating how UNISON’S first NEC election almost achieved proportionality. It isolates four sets of decisions that had implications for the operation of proportionality and fair representation. The chapter shows that proportionality can increase women’s access to representative seats. It suggests that a number of officers within UNISON were choosing to limit the representation of women.
