Selena Valdez Social Science
Women on the Waterfront: Barriers and Opportunities
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has been an engine of social mobility by negotiating high-paying jobs for its workers. But what happens when that social mobility is reserved for men? Nationally, of the 1.7 million full-time longshore workers, only 15.2% are women. Selena’s intention with studying the question, “What are the barriers women face in achieving upward mobility as longshore workers, and how can the ILWU better protect women?”, is to help labor organizers understand the underlying barriers and create solutions to improve women representation and upward mobility at the waterfront. Selena will make a documentary film to present the (anonymous) interviews by women workers, survey findings, analysis on this labor market, and the history of women on the waterfront.
