Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1983. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 549-587).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1999. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 338-350).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1974. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

The study examined the policy responses of organised labour towards the informal sector. It is based on a qualitative survey of trade unions in the textile, clothing and footwear sectors. The dualistic, Marxist structuralist, feminist and growth theories of the informal sector were used to evaluate policy responses towards the informal sector. The investigation of the dynamic relationship of trade unions with workers in the informal sector was informed by the transformation of the nature of work that is characterised by informalisation and the increased employment of contingent workers, the majority of whom are women. Informalisation was found to manifest itself through the use of homeworkers and ‘independent’ contractors. The study further showed that the formal and informal sectors were interdependent. This makes a compelling case for trade unions to organise vulnerable workers and to pursue the mainstreaming of the informal sector. However a rigid gender discourse was found to militate against the development of solidarity with the informal sector. The findings of the study suggest that gender mainstreaming within trade unions is a prerequisite for effectively mainstreaming the informal sector and that organising the informal sector is a gender issue. / Prof. G. Verhoef

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of California, Berkeley, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 354-392).

The initial research question for this study asked whether single women were having their employment needs met by the union in a university setting. Twelve single women who were members of a union at a university participated in semi-structured interviews about their experiences with the union. To the surprise of the researcher, the single women interviewed felt they had no needs. Drawing from feminist literature on the social construction of gender, this analysis argues that because of the patriarchal nature of our culture, women were raised to be mindful of other's needs and not their own, which made it difficult for participants to identify their own needs. / Graduation date: 2013