From unintended to undecided feminism?: Italian labour’s changing and singular ambiguities

This chapter will analyse the relationship between women and trade unions in Italy. That relationship is seen as particularly ambiguous, even more so than in other countries. On the one hand, the distinctive egalitarian policy of the Italian unions and the unique alliance they formed with the feminist movement served women’s interests for a time and to an extent. On the other hand, the unions as organisations have remained rooted in basically male social, cultural and organisational models and they find it increasingly difficult to cope with the emerging issues of diversity (an example being the enduring diffidence towards potentially women-friendly atypical and part-time jobs).