(Ur Abstract:) The central point of this study concerns the question to what degree the principle of equal wages for women and men met with sympathy in the salaried employees movement. /—/ In the trade union debate it is clear that equal wages for equal work was considered to be established in limited areas during the period 1944-1974. /—/ The general hiring policies within the public sector were less discriminating than those within the private area. Within neither the public nor the private sector did women succeed in reaching equality with men in regard to the possibility to enter various posts and especially qualified ones. Some of the explanations for this discrimination might be that women were not treated equally with men in the wage agreements, and that the inequality was institutionalized in the negotiation system. On the political level the ”Swedish Model” was used as an excuse for not acting. Discrimination was sometimes openly expressed in the trade union representatives’ speeches and in their referrals to the government on questions of social policy. Another sub-explanation is the women’s weak representation in the white-collar trade union boards on different levels. In this regard the present study is a contribution to earlier institutional research showing that women can be more strongly representated in the beginning of an organization’s life. Thereafter a process begins whereby women’s voice on the governing board is weakened. This is what took place on most of the boards within TCO. This process was especially visible when changes in the organization’s structure took place, i.e. by decreasing or increasing the members of the board. The womens share of the TCO increased considerably during the period 1944-1974, but their representation within the organization remained weak.
Av: TAM-Arkiv
Skapad 2013-01-31