Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Hernandez, Sarah

Keywords

Non-Profits, Inequality, Sociology

Area of Concentration

Sociology

Abstract

This research project seeks to explore whether the structure of non-profit organizations enables or inhibits the reproduction of social hierarchies within the client-staff relationship. I study two structurally different organizations operating with similar constituents in Florida: a service-based organization with a defined hierarchy, and a grassroots organization with a participatory approach. Through in-depth interviews with clients and staff members, I sought to gain insight into the processes of interaction, empowerment, and expression that existed within both organizations. I found that, though both organizations reproduced social hierarchies, their structure impacted the extent to and the way in which these hierarchies were reproduced. Therefore, inequality is being reproduced within the social relations in non-profit organizations, but there are ways in which structures can be changed to counteract it. This knowledge allows us to better understand and find spaces for change and improvement within non-profit organizations.

Rights

The author has granted New College of Florida the nonexclusive right to archive, make accessible, and distribute for educational purposes this work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The copyright of this work remains with the author.

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