Women's Power Under Threat? Voluntary Organizations in Transition

To study changes in local organizational society in Norway is also to study social change. This is so for two reasons: first, Norway is a nation of organizers. Even though the growth in organizations and members has stagnated in recent years (Wollebæk and Selle 2002), the vast majority of the population are still members of at least one organization (Wollebæk et al. 2000). Membership, volunteering and the number of organizations are extensive in international comparison (Sivesind et al. 2002).