Expertise
I am an expert in comparative employment relations with a particular interest in gender equality. The originality of my work lies in the sociological perspective I apply to study employment relations, which brings theoretical depth, methodological rigor, and a critical lens through which to understand the complex and often contested nature of work and employment.
My work investigates how gendered occupational segregation, casualisation, deteriorating working conditions, and undervalution of women’s work, impact on the efforts of trade unions to achieve gender equality and address the gender pay gap (Kirton & Guillaume, 2019; Work, employment, and society; Guillaume, 2018; British Journal of Industrial Relations; Kirton & Guillaume, 2017; Industrial Relations Journal; Guillaume & Kirton, 2017; Economic and Industrial Democracy). I also examine how the way in which trade unions operate - the internal power relations, informal co-optation processes, culture and identity that characterise them - hinders women's participation, as well other minority groups, and undermines the defence of their interests (Kirton & Guillaume, 2024; Work, employment, and society; Guillaume 2022; Bristol University Press; Guillaume & Pochic, 2011; European Societies).
However, as I believe that trade unions are also part of the solution, I explore how employment relations processes and trade unions strategies whether in terms of collective bargaining, social partnership, legal mobilisations, strategic litigation, and gender equality policies can help to address gender, class and race discrimination in the workplace and within trade unions (Guillaume & Kirton, 2024; Edward Elgar; Guillaume 2022; Bristol University Press; Guillaume & Kirton 2022; Economic and Industrial Democracy; Guillaume & Chappe, 2022; Journal of Law and Society; Guillaume, 2022; Industrial Law Journal; Guillaume, 2018; Industrial Relations Journal; Guillaume, 2015; Cambridge Journal of Economics). I am also convinced that the effectiveness of employment relations depends on the conditions in which trade unionists carry out their role, in terms of resources, training, and support, and the forms of discrimination they face (Guillaume, Pochic & Chappe, 2018; Economic and Industrial Democracy). I have therefore focused my recent research projects on the issues of workplace gender-based violence, and trade unionists’ health and well-being, from a gendered and intersectional perspective.
Another strand of my research concerns women's careers (Guillaume, 2000; PhD) and the impact of equality and diversity policies (Guillaume & Pochic, 2009; Gender Work and Organizations; Pochic & Guillaume, 2009; Sociologie du Travail). I've just finished an original piece of work on returner programmes, funded by a BA/Leverhulme grant, using sociological theories of stigma to critically analyse their limited impact on women returners (Guillaume & al. 2024; Sociology).
My research employs a multi-methodological approach, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative case studies, ethnography and historical analysis, as part of a comparative research approach. I have built strong international collaborative relationships to enrich this research and extend its reach. In January 2025, I will start a 3-year research project funded by ANR investigating the health and well-being of union representatives in four countries - France, Quebec, Belgium and the UK