"Let's not get sexist" women and identity in community organizations

In a study of social identities and people's participation in local neighborhood associations, collective identities based on gender and/or race seldom emerged. Although neighborhood associations provide an opportunity for citizens to gain civic skills, they can also serve as sites of what I call everyday exclusions. Women are not denied membership or leadership positions. Rather, women occupy more leadership positions than men. Because of gender stereotypes and gendered assumptions about power, however, women are sometimes seen by other women as less effective leaders. Findings are based on participant observation of association meetings in St. Louis, Missouri and 31 semi-structured interviews.