FURTHER ACTIVITIES OF STUDENTS

 

interests so that the total picture in a specific community may appear much
better for the women as alumnae than as candidates.

One significant point should be kept in mind when alumnae and their con-
tributions to society are considered. These women are workers, many of
whom carry home and family responsibilities in addition to working. Analysts
of community participation have stated that “In general the lower the occu-
pational status the fewer the number of clubs a person joins. Thus com-
f munity participation has a positive correlation with income and leisure.” *
In addition various studies have shown that, no matter what the income level,
few people belong to many groups. A study made by Komarovsky of approxi-
mately 6,000 people in each of two communities shows that 60 percent of one
and 64 percent of the other had no participation. Here and in other places,
the indices of average membership per adult in civic clubs and movements
have been shown to be very low. In two rural communities, the index was
0.6 and 0.7, in three suburban communities it was 0.6, 0.5, 0.5, and in two
small cities 1.1 and 1.2.°

Within all incomes and all places, the ultimate determinant of community
participation seems to be the personality of the participating individual.
Some people are inert, some active, no matter what the type of community.
The Summer School, therefore, has attempted to be careful in the selection
of applicants. On the whole its efforts have been justified.

 

 

* Quoted in Lloyd Allen Cook, Community Backgrounds of Education, p. 68.
5 Ibid., pp. 65-67.

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