I. History of labor unions in the US
Unionization can be traced through the history of the movement of ad hoc groups of skilled labors such as carpenters, cabinet makers, printers and cord makers etc. at the time of the Declaration of Independence. Their efforts in demanding higher pay and shorter working hours by going on strikes during the 18th century marked the beginning of organized labor movements. As the power of employers in collaboration with the legislature to curtail strikes increased, American workers realized the importance of sustaining their stance in unionization. They started forming organized groups of workers working for general welfare of the workforce.

The National Labor Union formed in 1866 had been the result of this effort. After this, in 1869 the Knights of Labor was formed by Uriah Stephens. The organizations aimed at the amelioration of working hours and wages for the skilled as well as unskilled laborers. Although they forced a lot of negative publicity but the Knights of Labor formed the base for the formation of American Federation of Labor by Samuel Gompers in 1886. The AFL though negated the presence of women and children in the workforce, and at the same time voiced their concern for sinking “skilled” workforce working at minimal wages. At that time, the AFL only represented the union membership of skilled workers (The Labor Union Movement in America, 2004).

Changes in the organization of unions took place in 1894 with the Pullman Strike by the American Railroad Union, which boycotted the Pullman plant from manufacturing the nation's railroads. The interference of the government and injunction by the legislature showed that the workers did not have legislative presence and therefore required legal intervention before their concerns could be heard. Similar events led to more uprising which, with the urging of the AFL, forced Congress to consider the set up of a Department of Labor. This division was to devise legislatures that would protect the rights of the workers as well as address job exploitation. The LaFollette Seaman's Act and the Clayton Act of 1914 for example played important roles in negating the Sherman Act provisions to stop union organization. Thus, the Clayton Act legalized strikes and boycotts.

Following the AFL, the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) was formed, albeit for the interest and benefits of the industrial workers. Industrial unions were considered to be different as these comprise of union members of skilled laborers of industrial nature. However, in the course of World Wars, the changing labor population and similarity in interests towards unionism led to the merger of the CIO and the AFL (The Labor Union Movement in America, 2004). With their merger, the power of union increased further which could be observed in the passage of the National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act).
The Wagner Act proved to be a landmark in legal development, as it allowed the workers to form unions, and to bargain collectively as well. This led to the increase in union membership from 3.8 million to 9 million from 1935 to 1940 (Chao, 2001, p. 59). Yet, while the Wagner Act allowed the formation of labor unions there had been no clear demarcation or administrative provisions for union formation. By the demand of the public, Congress had to enact another legislation to restrict and control labor unions which emerged in the form of the Labor Management Relations (Taft-Hartley) Act. This Act prohibited unfair practices as well as restricted the unions from engaging in health and safety strikes, control over contract contents and union administration. Similarly, the Fair Labor Standards act of 1938 passed to regulate wage standards, working conditions and working hours. As a result of these legislature, union demands declined as the government ensured worker's rights were met. The 1959 Labor-Management Reporting Act furthered this cause by providing protection to rights of the union members (Chao 2001, p. 59). As more and more legislature were formed, union members enjoyed more privileges such as social benefits, compensation benefits as well as retirement benefits.

II. Changing demographics in the unions, men leaving due to better workplace conditions.
Parallel to this historical development, had been the change in demographics of workers. Initially, the majority of the labor force comprised of men working for the livelihood of their families. They may or may not have been specialized in particular skills. Hence, whether they were working on the railroads or at local banks as managers, they had been secured in their jobs. However, with the emergence of the Great Depression, there was increased demand for two earners in American families. This trend was altered dramatically with the emergence of World War II, when women entered the workforce in millions to replace the men who went to war. They not only took over male jobs such as positions at heavy machineries but also white collar positions. However, when the veterans returned, women were forced back into their traditional female jobs/roles so that the men could be accommodated in the decreasing job pool. This kind of discrimination led to the lowering of female wage and deteriorating workplace environment while men sought jobs with higher pay and better work environment (Chao, 2001, p.60).

With the change in work force demographics, families’ income and purchasing power also changed. Companies switched from goods-producing to service-producing, which increased the demand for white-collar workers. The decline in the demand for labor intensive work led to the decline in popularity of unions. On the other hand, companies realized that white-collar workers required better compensation, work environment and benefits, resulting in the increase in company paid benefits such as family care, health care, insurance leaves, benefit plans, etc. Unions therefore carried on working for the interest of blue-collar workers, which comprised female workers who were forced to earn low wages yet at the same timings and working conditions.

III. History of women in labor unions (past, present and future predictions)
At the time of the formation of the NLU, there had been little consideration for the segregation of female or male workers, as most of the occupations had been taken up by men. However, as Alexander Hamilton (Mofford, 1996) identified the benefits of hiring cheap women and children workers, exploitation of their status in society and especially the fact that they were unskilled, led to the proliferation of deteriorating working conditions.
The Knights of Labor established in 1869 had been the first large scale national labor federation to be launched, which partly preserved women's rights to participate in the legislative and vote. This organization however, gave way to the formation of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), which had been male-dominated and headed by Samuel Gompers. The AFL worked for the interest of the general workers and gave little attention to the cause of working women. To channel their concerns, working women joined force in the form with the upper class women in the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL). It had been Clara Lemlich of the WTUL in 1909, who participated in a strike and gained the sympathy of an audience by a call for action against female working conditions at the shirtwaist factories. Even during the FDR's New Deal era women did not gain recognition for their participation in the economy. With the enactment of the Wagner Act of 1935 in which the National Labor Relations Board required employers not to discriminate against union members and guarantee their collective bargaining rights, women's roles had been ignored. And when the Great Depression set in, unemployment rose, and female workers had to face discrimination because of their marital status and resort to traditional female jobs which paid less.

IV. US and International demographics of women in unions.
Statistics provided by the US Department of Labor indicate that there has been a decline in the number of membership in labor unions in both the male and female populations. However, there has been an increase in the demand for union representation among the Latino population which has been increasingly discriminated at the workplace for the years 2002-2003 (US Department of Labor, 2004). However, the gap between the two has been steadily decreasing since the 1980s (Union Members Summary, 2003).

V. Closing arguments and summation
Historical development indicates that organized labor groups have been formed with the objective of furthering the interest of a male-dominated workforce. However, as the workforce became populated by female workers during the World Wars, the legislative had not been prepared for their inclusion. As a result, female workers are still under-represented as compared to male workers, and require union representation. On the other hand, male workers have been given more preference and privileges so that they no longer require such assistance. Instead, they have better working conditions as compared to females and also enjoy higher pay. For this reason there has been a decline in the male membership in workforce unions as compared to women.