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Assessments

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Women, Gender & the Unions	Women, Gender & the Bosses
Policy	Gender Issues
Strategies	Gender demands
Developments	Gender policy
Assessments	Sectors of gender struggle
Gallery of women leaders

WOMEN GENDER & UNIONS - Assessments

Group Study

Divide the readings up between you chronologically - take a different period of history each
Read the materials and prepare to tell the story of your period to the rest of the group
Tell the stories in your group in chronological order
Note where they are similar and where there has been growth and change
Compare your own experiences with the assessments that you have read. Do you agree with them?

As an individual exercise

Divide the readings up into chronological periods.
Compare the assessments of the different periods.
Note where they are similar and where there has been growth and change
Compare your own experiences with the assessments that you have read. Do you agree with them?

Available documents to download

(click on Learning Resource Number to download)

B4.1	Women and Trade Unions	SALB 1983: experienced organiser "talks about some of the problems faced by women in the trade union movement"
B4.2	Cosatu News, No 1 - Cosatu women organise - Disa Digital Imaging Project of South Africa	A 1989 Cosatu News article, taken from a report to a women's seminar in Ghana. It summarises the state of play on "women worker issues" in Cosatu.
B4.3	Speak, No 34 - Can women lead - Disa Digital Imaging Project of South Africa	A 1991 article: Women's leadership in COSATU
B4.4	Work in Progress, No 83 - Women's forums grow - Disa Digital Imaging Project of South Africa	1992, WIP, Progress on Women's Forums in COSATU
B4.5	Women's struggle in COSATU	1995, TURP, review of COSATU's achievements on women
B4.6	Naledi: Union Glass Ceiling	A 1996 Naledi research report assessing the situation of women in the unions, with a case study on Saccawu.
B4.7	September Commission Report Chapter 8	A 1997 report: assesses the issue of gender in the federation and makes recommendations, including a quota system
B4.8	Shopsteward Vol 7 No 6-7 - Gender News Popcru	A 1998 article: assessment of gender issues in Popcru
B4.9	Women's Leadership in COSATU - Naledi	1999, NALEDI, report containing figures on women's participation in structures
B4.10	Agenda 40 1999: Occupational Mobility for female union officials	A 1999 article exploring "reasons for the absence of women in top positions in the trade unions" and arguing that "unions are guilty of creating a hierarchical occupational structure with women at the bottom"
B4.11	Naledi: Women Leadership in Cosatu	A 1999 Naledi research paper assessing the situation of women in the unions and making recommendations
B4.12	Assessing Gender Structures in COSATU - Naledi	A 1999 Naledi Research Report which identifies the origins of 'gender' in Cosatu, assesses the gender structures that exist and makes recommendations.
B4.13	Progress For Gender Equality - Naledi	A 2000 review of the Cosatu Congress assessing progress on gender equality.
B4.14	Equal Adam and Eve Where is the gender struggle in Cosatu	A 2003 piece by a Naledi Research on the Numsa website. It gives a rather negative assessment of the state of women worker issues.
B4.15	Women in Leadership - Naledi	Current: NALEDI article: 'A revolution is needed in gender struggles'
B4.16	Gender profiles of South African Public Sector Unions	Undated: A review of the public sector unions from a gender perspective, including an assessment of active participation, policies, campaigns and structures.
B4.17	NUMSA Across borders, women speak their minds!	Undated: Interviews with women trade unionists from other Southern African countries.