Tucson neighborhood activism: Gender differences in activism and neighborhood view

Abstract

Studies of the political activity of both men and women have been plentiful within geographic research, however, a more thorough examination of the effect of gender differences on informal political activity has not yet been produced. This study focuses on the ways in which differences in women's and men's views about neighborhood structure the nature and style of their participation in neighborhood activism in Tucson, Arizona. Grounded theory and a feminist perspective were employed to explore differences in men's and women's motivations to and methods of neighborhood activism in an attempt to provide a greater understanding of gender differences and their effect on women's and men's perceptions of their neighborhoods and their approaches to neighborhood activism.