Les souffrances de la femme-quota

Abstract

This article stems from a rather rare fact : within a few years, the most important Swiss trade union, unia, managed to reach a high feminization rate of its management and political personnel, whereas 80% of its members are men. We will first show, based on objective data, that the voluntary quota policy, fostered by the necessity to develop the feminized part of the service sector, as well as the professionalization of the trade unionist profession, explain this success. On the basis of biographical interviews among male and female trade union secretaries, we then show that the forced feminization of the trade union also generated counter-productive effects : high turnover of female staff, burn-outs, stigmatization of the « quota woman », sexism, difficulties to conciliate private life and professional life mark female careers at unia. We therefore underline the limits of a willful feminization policy if it is not accompanied by profound changes in the organizational structure of the trade union, which remains profoundly male-dominated to this day.