Women and Weak Ties: Differences by Sex in the Size of Voluntary Organizations

This paper explores some network consequences of dramatic differences between men and women in the typical size of the voluntary organizations they belong to.These size differences are greatest in organizations that are most economically oriented. Furthermore, the differences are remarkably consistent across social categories; men tend to belong to larger organizations when compared with women in similar categories, whether of work status, age, education, or marital status. Men are located in core organizations which are large and related to economic institutions, while women are located in peripheral organizations whichare smaller and more focused on domestic or community affairs. Even though men and women have almost exactly the same number of memberships on the average, thedramatic differences in the sizes and types of their organizations expose men tomany more potential contacts and other resources than women.