Varför engagera sig om man riskerar livet?
Motiv till fackligt deltagande hos kvinnor i Colombia
Why engage if it risks your life?Motives to participation in labour unions among women in ColombiaEssay in Political Science D-levelAuthor: Susanna SvenssonTutor: Hans LödénWhy do people choose to participate in politics when it is such a small chance that you actually make a change? Also political participation favours the collective and therefore you do not get any personal advantages for your contribution. Even more interesting is the question of why you participate when it puts yourself in a position of danger? Colombia is considered to be the most dangerous country to be a member of labour unions in and it would therefore be a context where it is unlikely to find participation. This study is based on thirteen qualitative interviews with Colombian female union members with the aim to understand why people engage in labour unions despite threats of violence and other obstacles, when the most likely would be to abstain from action. The overall research question is: Why do women in Colombia participate in labour unions in spite of violence or threats of violence and other obstacles?The study is framed by the attribution theory. The attribution theory is used to explain why people act as they do and states that there are both external and internal attributions as well as stable and unstable. The theory has been used to set up research question, an interview template, and to analyse the material.The most of the interviewed persons had been violated because of there activism in labour unions. Many of them had been threatened to their lives. The study finds that their beliefs in rights and equality are crucial to explain why they participate in union activism. So is their environment in which they grew up. Moreover, the social life and the international support that the unions provides is also important for their engagement.