Cohort Differences in Swedish Union Membership 1956–2019 and the Role of Individualization

Discussions of the role of cohort differences have long been part of academic research on union membership, with a central hypothesis being that the general decline in unionization is caused by changes toward more individualistic values in the younger generations. However, the short time span of mo...

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Autores principales: Erik Vestin, Patrik Vulkan
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Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Aalborg University 2021
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:14718558cf2d40799f8827141f3bf1af2021-12-02T00:03:47ZCohort Differences in Swedish Union Membership 1956–2019 and the Role of Individualization2245-0157https://doaj.org/article/14718558cf2d40799f8827141f3bf1af2021-12-01T00:00:00Zhttps://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/129503https://doaj.org/toc/2245-0157 Discussions of the role of cohort differences have long been part of academic research on union membership, with a central hypothesis being that the general decline in unionization is caused by changes toward more individualistic values in the younger generations. However, the short time span of most studies makes it uncertain if they can separate cohort effects from age effects. Using survey data going back to 1956, we test the individualization hypothesis. Our main result is that later Swedish cohorts are indeed less prone to join unions. In particular, the differences between cohorts born before and after ca 1970 are striking. We also provide evidence that the erosion in union membership in Sweden is not related to changes toward more individualistic values in later cohorts, or even to more negative views of unions per se. Erik VestinPatrik VulkanAalborg UniversityarticleIdentity, Meaning & CultureLabor Market Institutions & Social PartnersLabor. Work. Working classHD4801-8943ENNordic Journal of Working Life Studies (2021)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic Identity, Meaning & Culture
Labor Market Institutions & Social Partners
Labor. Work. Working class
HD4801-8943
spellingShingle Identity, Meaning & Culture
Labor Market Institutions & Social Partners
Labor. Work. Working class
HD4801-8943
Erik Vestin
Patrik Vulkan
Cohort Differences in Swedish Union Membership 1956–2019 and the Role of Individualization
description Discussions of the role of cohort differences have long been part of academic research on union membership, with a central hypothesis being that the general decline in unionization is caused by changes toward more individualistic values in the younger generations. However, the short time span of most studies makes it uncertain if they can separate cohort effects from age effects. Using survey data going back to 1956, we test the individualization hypothesis. Our main result is that later Swedish cohorts are indeed less prone to join unions. In particular, the differences between cohorts born before and after ca 1970 are striking. We also provide evidence that the erosion in union membership in Sweden is not related to changes toward more individualistic values in later cohorts, or even to more negative views of unions per se.
format article
author Erik Vestin
Patrik Vulkan
author_facet Erik Vestin
Patrik Vulkan
author_sort Erik Vestin
title Cohort Differences in Swedish Union Membership 1956–2019 and the Role of Individualization
title_short Cohort Differences in Swedish Union Membership 1956–2019 and the Role of Individualization
title_full Cohort Differences in Swedish Union Membership 1956–2019 and the Role of Individualization
title_fullStr Cohort Differences in Swedish Union Membership 1956–2019 and the Role of Individualization
title_full_unstemmed Cohort Differences in Swedish Union Membership 1956–2019 and the Role of Individualization
title_sort cohort differences in swedish union membership 1956–2019 and the role of individualization
publisher Aalborg University
publishDate 2021
url https://doaj.org/article/14718558cf2d40799f8827141f3bf1af
work_keys_str_mv AT erikvestin cohortdifferencesinswedishunionmembership19562019andtheroleofindividualization
AT patrikvulkan cohortdifferencesinswedishunionmembership19562019andtheroleofindividualization
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