Canadian Women's Groups in the 1980s: Organizational Development and Policy Influence

In the second wave of the Canadian women's movement there is a wide variety of groups seeking to improve the status of women. In 1975 Paul Pross developed a continuum of interest groups which, he claimed, allows researchers to relate such groups to each other and to the policy process. On the basis of a mailed survey conducted in 1984, 144 women's groups, with traditional, status of women, service, and shelter goals are analyzed here according to Pross's organizational categories. Traditional and status of women groups are closer to institutionalization than either the service of shelter groups. However, there is little relationship between these organizational characteristics and perceived policy influence. Instead, policy success varies significantly according to the nature of the claim.