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.