Collateral damage: women and the WorkChoices battlefield

Abstract

This article focuses on the way in which women are affected by, and affect, the battlefield that constitutes the new industrial relations regime. It assesses whether women have lower bargaining power than men and, if so, what factors are useful, in explaining this. It then examines the new legislative regime and its likely effect on women, taking account of: the relative reliance on awards of women and men; gender patterns in the costs and benefits of unionism and individual contracting; the gender impact of institutions; and discrimination and harassment. It ends by looking at the role of women in developing an effective response to WorkChoices.