Empowering Change: Women’s Participation and Management in Trade Unions in India

Abstract

The study "Empowering Change: Women's Participation in Trade Unions in India" explores how enhancing women's involvement in trade unions can empower individuals, catalyze broader societal change, and lead to more just and effective labor policies benefiting the entire nation. The study adopted a mixed-method approach to provide a comprehensive understanding of both the quantitative impact and the qualitative experiences of "women's participation in the trade union movement in India." The study used a structured questionnaire via Stratified random Sampling to select participants. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results reveal that more and more young women join the trade unions, but they also face several obstacles related to gender-based discrimination and organizational practices. Work-life balance, opportunities for leadership, and the development of skills play a crucial role in ensuring active participation by women. The study findings suggest that training and skill development have been the major drivers of improvement toward establishing and maintaining female participation, taken together, contributing uniquely to the experience of increased participation. In addition, the findings of the study highlight the need to create an enabling environment for women to participate and benefit from trade union activities to affect change at work and beyond.