Frauenpolitik und Männergewerkschaft (Women’s Politics and Men’s Trade Unionism). A new book by Susan Zimmermann
Women’s Politics and Men’s Trade Unionism International Gender Politics, Female IFTU Trade Unionists and the Workers’ and Women’s Movements of the Interwar Period Building on a large network of female socialist ac - tivists and functionaries, the Women’s International of the International Federation of Trade Unions, the IFTU, also known as the “Amsterdam International,” pursued its mandate in the interwar period and into WWII. Historically, in the male-dominated labor movement, female trade unionists had to grapple with the marginalization of the women’s question; in the world of the non-socialist women’s movements, they were faced with the marginalization of the class question. This book brings the IFTU women and their largely unexplored contribution to international women’s and gender politics into the spotlight. The IFTU Women’s International cooperated closely with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the League of Nations in Geneva. As it developed its positions and policies, it collaborated with and confronted the IFTU leadership, international women’s organizations, and the trade union and women’s movements of the European countries. The IFTU women’s network sought to strengthen the position of women workers and addressed wage policies, women’s unpaid family work, labor protection and social policy, the right to work, war and peace, and the unionization of women. The book examines the multifaceted struggles of these many actors and players around the politics of women’s work and other elements of the emerging international gender politics of the interwar period, highlighting the complex and idiosyncratic contribution of the IFTU women.