As some of you know, my name is Dylan and I’m currently a PhD student at the University of Birmingham Business School and also a board member of Stirchley Cooperative Development. I have been involved in the cooperative movement in various ways for twelve years, helping to set up one of the UK’s first student housing cooperatives, participating in Radical Routes and being part of a well-being worker cooperative called We Got To Move.
I am conducting a UK study into the benefits of worker cooperatives to women! Worker cooperatives offer a unique type of workplace organisation, allowing workers to have control over their working conditions and no bosses. I want to see the effects that has on the gender dynamics and women’s experiences of the workplace.
If you are currently part of, or used to be part of, a worker cooperative primarily based in the UK and would like to participate in an interview please get in touch!
You can be any gender but must be over the age of 18. I will be running two focus groups at the workers.coop autumn gathering – one that is open to all genders and another that is open to women and those who feel their experiences align most closely with women (e.g. non-binary, genderfluid etc – this is up to the individual to decide and I won’t be policing it). Please email me if you have any questions and want to take part. You are also welcome to sign up on the day (please note that these will be closed sessions once they’ve begun due to audio recording and the need for all participants to sign consent forms).
I am also planning to do one to one interviews with those who meet the criteria and further group interviews with individual cooperatives (either the whole cooperative if you’re small or a section of the cooperative if you’re bigger!) so if this is something your coop would be up for please let me know.
You contact me on: DXD642@student.bham.ac.uk
If you take part at the gathering there is still the opportunity for follow up interviews and me visiting your coop for a group interview if wanted.
Thanks in advance cooperators!