Document Type
Book Chapter
Abstract
This chapter argues that separate organizing has not successfully advanced the cause of women workers. A women's committee was established in the MTUC in 1965, but government restrictions on union organizing have made it difficult for unions to raise the numbers of female trade union leaders and members thus limiting the committee's effectiveness. However, these restrictions are not the most significant barrier to women's participation in the union movement. Other forms of feminist civil society activism are quite strong in Malaysia, and female unionists have devised strategies with NGOs to campaign for women's rights within the workplace and the home. However, the masculine culture of trade unions, and male unionists, along with continued emphasis on women's role in the family limit women's engagement with the union movement.
RIS ID
24653