Can Women’s Structures Help New Zealand and UK Trade Unions’ Revival?

In recent decades, UK and New Zealand unions have tried valiantly to counter dwindling membership and political clout. However, their revival strategies have stemmed, rather than convincingly reversed, such measures of union decline. This study draws on national survey, interviews, union documentation and website material from New Zealand and the UK to compare the extent and nature of a relationship between the activities of collective structures for women within unions and unions’ revival efforts. It emerges that, mediated by context, women’s structures positively contribute to union revival strategies in both countries. Further, this occurs not just in terms of quantitative and external outcomes, but also in the qualitative processes of engaging members. The findings inform a discussion of future directions for revival strategies and of the adequacy of union vitality gauges themselves.