| Abstract: | The research was a study of 16 women's networks in the United Kingdom. Information was mainly collected via a self-completion postal questionnaire in Summer 1987. The purpose of this paper is to develop concepts which might be used to understand the characteristics and activities of such networks and to test out the hypothesis that a network's political stance is predictive of some of its main features. It seeks to demonstrate that Tomlinson's dichotomous political classification of networks (Women in Management Review, 2(4), 238–247, 1987) can usefully be extended to encompass a third category. The hypothesis that the political stance of a network will be predictive of its orientation — discussed in terms of the relative importance of training and lobbying to a given group — and the inclusivity/exclusivity of its membership policy is supported. Conversely, it is shown that attitudes to men as potential members, organisational structures, and sources and levels of funding cannot be predicted purely by reference to a network's political position. |
