Towards a Wages Strategy for Women

Important gains for British women in the LF can be observed in policies dealing with child care, part-time work, & abortion adopted by the Trades Union Congress. On the issue of women's wages, some feminist writers have argued that union collective bargaining strategies mainly reflect the interest of M workers, & that a "feminist incomes policy" should be considered that takes into account women's responsibilities of home & family & consequent need for flexible working conditions. Such a policy would also limit all wages in an attempt to make women's wages more equal to men's. However, a review of women's wage gains in the past decade & of the work structure in England suggests that such a feminist policy would not improve women's wage situation, & that women will achieve gains only through better union organization & use of collective bargaining strategies. 1 Figure, 4 Photographs. D. Dunseath.