AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN'S EXCLUSION OF WOMEN AND INCLUSION OF KIN AND MALES INTO THEIR SOCIAL NETWORKS: A MISTRUST OF WOMEN ISSUE?

Abstract

In a previous study, a small group of rural African American women were found to have negative attitudes of mistrust of women, which influenced the size and composition of their social network. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to describe the size, gender, and kin composition of the social network of a larger sample of rural and small-city African American women and (2) to psychometrically evaluate the Brown Attitude toward Women (BATW) scale. Two hundred rural and small town women (both drug users and non-users) completed a paper and pencil survey. A large percentage (from 44–75%) of women completing the survey held negative attitudes toward other women, which were reasons they gave for excluding women from their social networks. The women's mistrust of other women appears to contribute to their small network size. Women with smaller social networks tended to include a larger percentage of males and kin within their networks. Research and clinical implications of this phenomenon are discussed.