Introduction
In “Gender, Race and Political Empowerment: South African Canning Workers, 1940-1960,” Berger argued that when it comes to women and trade unions, the women in the Cape Province were better off than their contemporaries (Berger, 1990).
This remark was clarified by saying that “Although patriarchal attitudes were not absent from family life, women were, of necessity, economically active and responsible members of their households” (Berger, p.400). In contrast to other trade unions all over the world the women in the Food and Canning Worker’s Union enjoy the right to speak up and even to hold leadership roles.
Main Body
The unique attribute of the women workers’ rights in this part of the world did not happen by accident. There is one major reason why this is so, for there is the support of “local working-class communities in which women, men, and children often labored in the same factories” (Berger, p.400). This is why it is natural for men to allow the women to speak; many of them have wives working in the same factory as they are. Furthermore, the union leaders did not see any distinction between home and work and as a result it was easy to deal with some of the problems in the manner that people would deal with a family issue.
Conclusion
There were several factors that gave rise to an enviable situation in a South African cannery in the Cape Province during the 1950s. In this part of the world, women were traditionally part of the labor force, working alongside men. It was therefore a natural thing to make them a part of trade unions. This serves as a good case study to understand how the plight of women in the labor market can be improved.