| Description |
Despite being half of the population, a dearth of women serve in elected office across the United States and in all levels of government. When women do run for public office, research shows that some type of community participation often serves as a pathway to elected office. This study examines one type of community participation, voluntary neighborhood governance. It uses as a case study Salt Lake City, which for at least 25 years has supported neighborhood governance through its well-organized system of place-based institutions known as community councils. Using evidence from document review, interviews, and observation, the study demonstrates how community councils are situated within Salt Lake City's political systems, and the ways in which individuals are transformed through engagement with the councils. It finds that under certain combinations of predilections and conditions, community council participation politically empowers women specifically, women who ran for political office were overrepresented in their incorporation of community council participation as a portion of their pathway to elected public service. Empowerment outcomes, however, were diminished by conditions such as community council role confusion and sentiments about "right" and "wrong" types of participation. |
