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The objective of the paper is to reveal the cross-national similarities and differences of uk and us women union leaders with respect to union gender equality strategies that contribute to advancing gender democracy. It draws on a two year qualitative study of women union leaders involving 134 union leaders, participant observation and secondary data sources. This research contributes to gender and comparative research by highlighting both similarities and differences in the way uk and us women union leaders engage with union gender equality strategies and provides insights on the efficacy of these strategies for improving women’s representation in leadership and decision-making structures. Further insights relate to the weakness in women’s position in their unions, and how social and structural factors often constrained their willingness to promote and defend transformational equality strategies.