Do You Need a Women’s Committee?
The decision to form a committee should be based on an analysis of the need for a women’s committee at either the council level or local levels, or both. Here are some questions to consider when making this decision:
- Do you want to encourage more women to be active in the union?
- Are there particular issues, such as pay equity or sexual harassment, with which women members want the council or local to be more involved?
- Are you trying to increase membership among women members?
- Are you planning organizing drives where many of the workers are women?
- Are women under-represented in leadership positions in the council or local?
- Are there women members who are not active in the union who have a strong interest in women’s issues?
- Do women members need training in skills such as public speaking and running a meeting to be effective union leaders?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, a women’s rights committee may be an effective way to reach your goals. If your group has other goals, however, perhaps a different committee would be more appropriate. For example, a group that wants to perform charitable work or community service might consider setting up a community action committee instead.