Control and Leadership in Women's Groups: An Analysis of Philanthropic Money-Raising Activity

Money-raising campaigns for charitable purposes provide means of comparing men & women's roles under relatively equal conditions. Comparisons were made in this study for the soc control of group members & for diff's in leadership characteristics. Data were obtained in interviews with Uc & UMc men & women who had taken leading parts in city-wide money-raising campaigns of Wellsville, an eastern Canadian city. 70 men & 60 women were interviewed. This article deals mainly with women's activities. The ideology of philanthropy is traced briefly, including the emphasis on charity & the suspicion of other groups (such as soc workers) entering the field. Top campaign positions are `passed around' among a relatively small group, composed mainly of a few older women with great influence & a large number of women who direct the campaign. Whereas philanthropic activity is merely an adjunct to a man's career, it can constitute a career in itself for the women. Much pressure can be exerted by women to compel other women to devote time & money to philanthropic activities. In addition, there is an evident dislike of canvassing by many women. The existence of certain rewards is used to explain the degree of response that is ultimately elicited: a deep satisfaction in being identified with a `cause' larger than oneself (particularly in successful campaigns), satisfaction in having an interest outside the home, excitement in the competition of campaigns, pride in identification with a prestigeful community group, & satisfaction in doing an `important' job well. Pressures include feelings of obligation to a friend, flattery, & appeal to obligations. Analysis of leadership qualifications supports Faris' conclusions that leadership is specific to the particular situation. The essential diff between men & women's organized behavior lies, on the one hand, in the condition in women's groups which still function on the basis of personal relations & thus have controls & leadership that lie within the realm of primary relationships, as opposed to the condition in men's groups which are controlled by more impersonal mechanisms & in which leadership is given to those who hold soc or business power (or both). (See Also SA 0466). G. A. Hillery, Jr.