Empowering Women in Trade Unions for Leadership Development

1. Danyanne Quemper LIFT Project Manager leadership initiative: females in trade unions ETUC Gender Mainstreaming Conference 5/6 March 2007

2. Danyanne Quemper LIFT Project Manager • The LIFT Development Partnership (DP) • Institute of Public Administration • Irish Congress of Trade Unions • National Centre for Partnership and Performance • LIFT Transnational Partners • CONFIO (Spain) UGT Estremedura • FIC (Denmark) Lo Copenhagen • € 1.4M Fund • “combating all forms of exclusion, discrimination and inequalities in the labour market”

3. Danyanne Quemper LIFT Project Manager • Current reality facing women in accessing and participating fully in the labour market: • Lack of affordable childcare / elder care • Gender pay gap / pensions gap • Career advancement – vertical and horizontal segregation • Reconciliation of work / life balance • Lack of participation in decision-making structures • Lack of recognition of ‘care labour’ – unpaid contribution • The impact upon women of multiple discrimination • Access to further education and training

4. Danyanne Quemper LIFT Project Manager • Key Experiences for Women in Irish Trade Unions • 25% of Union Officials • 26% of Elected Officers • 4% of General Secretaries • 98% of Administrative Staff • ‘Male, pale and stale’ culture dominates… • Hierarchical model prevails • Reliance on ‘long-hours’ • ‘Male’ constructs of leadership • Lack of ‘HRD’ in succession-planning

5. “I didn’t have an MBA or degree or anything at the time and I just held back despite my experience.”Senior TU Female Danyanne Quemper LIFT Project Manager Recruitment and Promotions “You have to lead a very bureaucratic organisation governed by an old rule book, so you get tied up in endless meetings”.TU General Secretary “Men tend to judge an issue in terms of the politics … women in terms of fairness.” TU General Secretary Informal Networks “Every woman involved in their trade union needs a wife at home!”Senior TU Female Accepted ‘constructs’ of leadership ‘Male’ Gendered Culture • Factors contributing to vertical segregation

6. Danyanne Quemper LIFT Project Manager • Congress’ Response – Promotion of Equality for Women • Designated Women’s Committees • Advocacy / Collaboration Policy-Making Institutions • BDC / SDC Motions on Equality • Equality-related Guidelines • Strategic Initiatives: such as the LIFT Programme

7. Danyanne Quemper LIFT Project Manager • LIFT – Programme of Strategic Change Interventions • Research – • Understand experiences of women in trade unions • Analyse current leadership approaches • Examine motivation, validity, relevance of joining • Assess how to engage a wider audience • Leadership Development Programmes • Strand I – General Secretary level • Strand II – Women Leaders • Strand III – Women’s Network

8. Danyanne Quemper LIFT Project Manager • LIFT – Programme of Strategic Change Interventions • Women’s Networks – • Provide top-down / bottom-up support • Act as internal change agents supported by leadership • Inform diverse approaches to recruitment and promotion • Engage a wider audience of women • Training Resources • Assessment of leadership styles informed by coaching • Leadership development supported through mentoring • Training resourced through specially devised toolkits for women, i.e. ‘Handbook for Women Activists’

9. Strategising, succession planning • Strand II • Senior Level Women • Strand I • General Secretaries • Leading change, • promoting new growth • Strand III • Women Officials and • Activists • Supportive networks • Informing cultural change • Mainstreaming approaches to meet future challenges