The challenging role of female decision makers in Maltese trade unionism

Abstract

Trade Unions are considered as important key‑players within the social dialogue framework. The Challenging Role of Female Decision Makers in Maltese Trade Unionism Ayfer R Aquilina Female Decision-Makers Trade Unionism Organisational Culture Societal Perceptions Over the years, it has become more evident that within this important element of the industrial relations scenario, women have often been left in the shadows and were rarely, if ever, present in the high echelons of the union or organisation. On an international level, Trade Unions have since their inception been a hive of masculinity, and are most regarded and looked upon as male-domain organisations with an embedded litigious nature (Amini et al, 2018; Kirton et al, 1999) On the local front, various literature and research studies bring to the fore that the top seats of the decision-making positions within these organisations are filled by men, even though female membership at the bottom level shows a high presence of female active members. (Debono, 2018; Department of Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER), 2019).