Research Interests

• Trade union women’s history
• Role of peak labour councils
• Labour History
• Trade union theory and practice

Current Research

Cathy’s current research includes an exploration of women in trade unions and peak unions; analysing historical patterns of women’s representation in peak unions. The initial stage of the project examined the historical and contemporary role of women trade union delegates in the Victorian Trades Hall Council (THC). The current phase of the project includes examination of the Female Confectioners Union, a key women’s union. She is also engaged in a research project on Union Collaboration exploring inter-union federations and alliances (with Dr Sarah Kaine, University of Technology, Sydney).

Current Projects:

• Separate organising and the Female Confectioners Union, 1916-1945
• Union Collaboration in Australia in the 21^st Century (with Dr Sarah Kaine, University of Technology, Sydney).
• Gender and peak unions

Dr Cathy Brigden has taught in undergraduate and postgraduate courses in employment relations, Australian industrial relations, negotiation and advocacy skills, and occupational health and safety.

She is coordinator of the Women + Work research cluster in the Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work, RMIT University.

• M.Com (Melb)
• PhD(Syd)

Professional membership

• Executive committee, Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand
• Member: Editorial Board, Labour History
• Member: Australian Society for the Study of Labour History
• Member: Industrial Relations Society
• Member: Labor and Working Class History Assocation
• Member: Union Strategy Group, University of Sydney

• Milner, L.,Brigden, C. (2018). No handmaidens here: women, volunteering and gender dynamics in the Sydney New Theatre In: Women’s History Review, 27, 266 – 287
• Mees, B.,Brigden, C. (2017). Workers’ Capital: Industry funds and the fight for universal superannuation in Australia, Allen and Unwin, Sydney
• Gregory, S.,Brigden, C. (2017). Gendered scenes: Conceptualising the negotiation of paid work and child care among performers in film, television and theatre production In: Media International Australia, 163, 151 – 162
• Brigden, C.,Kaine, S. (2015). Rethinking factional alliances and union renewal: Inter-union collaboration in the 21st century In: Economic and Industrial Democracy, 36, 239 – 257
• Kaine, S.,Brigden, C. (2015). Union responses to regulatory change: Strategies of protective layering In: The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 26, 614 – 630
• Brigden, C.,Milner, L. (2015). Radical theatre mobility: Unity Theatre, UK, and the New Theatre, Australia In: New Theatre Quarterly, 31, 328 – 342
• Brigden, C. (2014). Organising and Representing Women: the historical case of the Female Confectioners Union In: Women’s History Review, 23, 43 – 59
• Milner, L.,Brigden, C. (2014). From martyr to robo-nurse: The portrayal of Australian nurses on screen In: Studies in Australasian Cinema, 8, 110 – 122
• Brigden, C. (2013). The female confectioners union, 1916-1945 In: Organise, Educate, Control: The AMWU in Australia, 1852-2012, Monash University Publishing, Melbourne, Australia
• Brigden, C.,Milner, L. (2013). Roll out the red carpet: Australian nurses on screen In: Working USA: the journal of labor and society, 16, 505 – 523

View more outputs from this academic in the RMIT Research Repository

• Building resilience and inclusion amongst vulnerable populations through social media. Funded by: National Disaster Resilience Grant 2017 from (2017 to 2018)
• Developing Appropriate Workforce Skills for Australia’s Emerging Digital Economy. Funded by: National Vocational Education and Training Research (NVETR) Grant 2016 from (2016 to 2018)

2 PhD Completions