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Factors of convergence and divergence in union membership

Author

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  • Machin, Stephen
Abstract
This paper considers to what extent union decline in Britain has been characterised by convergence or divergence in union membership rates for people with different personal and job characteristics. It compares data on individual union membership in 1975, from a period when union membership was high and growing, to data in 2001 data when it is low and has been falling for over twenty years. Some factors of both convergence and divergence are identified. The clearest individual characteristic of convergence is gender. In 1975 there was a big male-female gap in union membership, whilst by 2001 one cannot reject the hypothesis that union membership rates were equal for men and women. The clearest case of divergence is age where the 1975-2001 period sees a widening of the age gap in union membership status. Other factors of convergence are the full- time/part-time status of jobs, ethnicity and workplace size. Other factors of divergence are industry and educational qualifications. Some other factors (like region) are neutral in that their relationship with union membership remains stable through time. Identification of these factors of convergence and divergence should be useful to many parties, including industrial relations scholars and union organisers. Finally, the fact that the magnitude of the relationships between union membership and a number of its determinants have shifted through time illustrates that one should be careful if one wishes to talk about empirical regularities in who is more or less likely to become a trade union member.

Suggested Citation

  • Machin, Stephen, 2002. "Factors of convergence and divergence in union membership," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 20056, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:20056
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jo Blanden & Stephen Machin, 2003. "Cross‐Generation Correlations of Union Status for Young People in Britain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 41(3), pages 391-415, September.
    2. Nickell, Stephen & Redding, Stephen & Swaffield, Joanna K, 2001. "Educational Attainment, Labour Market Institutions and the Structure of Production," CEPR Discussion Papers 3068, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
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    8. Metcalf, David, 2001. "British unions: dissolution or resurgence revisited," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 20124, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jo Blanden & Stephen Machin, 2003. "Cross‐Generation Correlations of Union Status for Young People in Britain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 41(3), pages 391-415, September.
    2. Getinet Astatike Haile, 2017. "Union decline in Britain: does gender have anything to do with it?," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 64(1), pages 25-49, February.
    3. Vaona, Andrea, 2006. "The duration of union membership: An empirical study," Kiel Working Papers 1268, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    4. Jo Blanden & Stephen Machin & John Van Reenen, 2005. "New Survey Evidence on Recent Changes in UK Union Recognition," CEP Discussion Papers dp0685, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    5. A Charlwood, 2003. "The Anatomy of Union Decline in Britain: 1990-1998," CEP Discussion Papers dp0601, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    6. Alex Bryson & Rhys Davies, 2019. "Family, Place and the Intergenerational Transmission of Union Membership," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 57(3), pages 624-650, September.
    7. Marco Trentini, 2022. "Political attitudes, participation and union membership in the UK," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(1), pages 19-34, January.
    8. Pere Jódar & Ramon Alós & Sergi Vidal, 2011. "Why do workers leave unions? Group differences between workers in CCOO-Catalonia," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 17(4), pages 471-484, November.
    9. Manquilef-Bächler, Alejandra A. & Arulampalam, Wiji & Smith, Jennifer C., 2009. "Differences in Decline: Quantile Regression Analysis of Union Wage Differentials in the United Kingdom, 1991-2003," IZA Discussion Papers 4138, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Blanchflower, David G., 2006. "A Cross-Country Study of Union Membership," IZA Discussion Papers 2016, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    11. Jim Foreman & Howard Gospel, 2002. "The Provision of Training in Britain: Case Studies of Inter-Firm Coordination," CEP Discussion Papers dp0555, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    12. Kim Hoque & Nicolas Bacon, 2006. "The antecedents of training activity in British small and medium-sized enterprises," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 20(3), pages 531-552, September.

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    JEL classification:

    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General

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