Women’s Participation in Trade Union Activity in Morocco: A Sociological Study of the Health Sector in the Souss-Massa Region

Abstract

This study has the objective of exploing and analying women participation in trade union activity in Morocco’s public sector, with particular attention to the health sector in the province of Tiznit, Souss-Massa region. It aims to shed light on the determinants shaping women employees’ engagement in union work, as well as the mechanisms through which women can practice trade unionism. The relevance of this study lies in its contribution to the broader scholarly effort to conduct field-based studies whose findings can be translated into practical outcomes and inform social development initiatives. It also aspires to provide empirically grounded answers to the questions raised by this phenomenon, thereby contributing to the construction of a sociological understanding of women’s participation in trade union life in Morocco.

The study finds that women involvement in trade union work remains a challenge for unions in the health sector in Tiznit. While positive indicators were recorded, most notably, a membership rate that reached half of the research sample-women’s actual trade union practice remains limited. This is largely due to the weak representation of women in decision-making positions within union bodies. Even when women are assigned responsibilities, these often prove symbolic or formal in nature, confined mainly to advisory roles