Welcome to WWC2S
This event is sponsored by AIRAANZ (Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand)
In May 2011, Rae Cooper (University of Sydney) and Jane Parker (Massey University) ran a symposium on women, work and collectivism. The forum generated a lively interchange between more than 50 emerging and more established academics, practitioners and policy-makers from New Zealand, Australia and beyond. Keynote addresses from the peak union bodies in Australia and New Zealand stressed the significance of having a forum for critical thinking and argument on matters which impact in a gendered fashion on working women whilst also affecting all those with whom women may interrelate, including work colleagues, employers, management, trade unions, family, support bodies, and others. A number of the best papers from the symposium were subsequently published in a special edition of the internationally-acclaimed Journal of Industrial Relations (April 2012).
The high levels of energy, collaborative spirit and discussions that emanated from the 2011 symposium has encouraged the organisation of a second symposium on 22 November 2013 at the AUT University.
The purpose of the WWC2 is thus two-fold: i) to profile and better understand key issues for women in paid work and their relationship to collectivist institutions and approaches in employment relations; and ii) to assess and endeavour to explain any shifts in working women’s circumstances in workplaces in the Pacific region and beyond, particularly since the 2011 symposium where it was identified that, despite many years of struggle by advocates for gender equality in the workplace, work for many women remains under-valued and poorly matched with non-work responsibilities (see http://www.uk.sagepub.com/repository/binaries/pdf/JIR-Cfp-Women_Work_and_Collectivism.pdf).
The WWC2 will encourage the development of a focus on these issues and potentially foster collaborative pursuits across diverse disciplines, and international institutions. The event will also allow for comparative contributions which may highlight progress or lack thereof in recent years.
The high levels of energy, collaborative spirit and discussions that emanated from the 2011 symposium has encouraged the organisation of a second symposium on 22 November 2013 at the AUT University.
The purpose of the WWC2 is thus two-fold: i) to profile and better understand key issues for women in paid work and their relationship to collectivist institutions and approaches in employment relations; and ii) to assess and endeavour to explain any shifts in working women’s circumstances in workplaces in the Pacific region and beyond, particularly since the 2011 symposium where it was identified that, despite many years of struggle by advocates for gender equality in the workplace, work for many women remains under-valued and poorly matched with non-work responsibilities (see http://www.uk.sagepub.com/repository/binaries/pdf/JIR-Cfp-Women_Work_and_Collectivism.pdf).
The WWC2 will encourage the development of a focus on these issues and potentially foster collaborative pursuits across diverse disciplines, and international institutions. The event will also allow for comparative contributions which may highlight progress or lack thereof in recent years.