 Alternative and parallel career paths for women: the case of trade union participationGill Kirton
Work, Employment & Society, 2006, vol. 20, issue 1, 47-65 Abstract: This article argues that a broader, horizontal and multiple concept of career helps us to understand women’s union participation. Women frequently commit to and actively balance more than one significant life activity - each of which can be conceptualized as a career - in the public and private spheres. These careers inter-relate and overlap, sometimes complementing each other, sometimes conflicting; thus commitment to, progression in, or setbacks for one mode of career cannot be understood without appreciation of the others. The study shows that within a context of gendered employment barriers and constraints, a trade union career can often constitute an alternative or parallel career for women, to which some women commit the energy and resources many people reserve for their paid work careers. The article also explores the private meanings attached to careers, revealing union careers as a subjective and moral project. Keywords: barriers and constraints; career choices; career concepts; trade union participation; women (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:woemps:v:20:y:2006:i:1:p:47-65 Access Statistics for this article More articles in Work, Employment & Society from British Sociological Association |
Is your work missing from RePEc? Here is how to contribute.
Questions or problems? Check the EconPapers FAQ or send mail to .
EconPapers is hosted by the
School of Business at Örebro University.