Placing social networks: A case study of female gated community residents in Bahrain

Abstract

In the past half-century, the oil-producing states of the Arab Gulf have undergone rapid and radical socioeconomic transformations, with particularly prominent transformations evident in the areas of urbanization and migration. While gated housing developments for foreign white-collar professionals have become prevalent in the cities of the Gulf, little attention has been paid to the social dimensions associated with these developments. This article examines the local social networks of female residents of gated communities in Bahrain. Drawing on data from surveys and in-depth interviews, the article identifies factors in the built and social environments that support or limit the formation of local social networks by the residents of gated communities. Based on these factors, the article offers a generalizable conceptual framework for understanding the mechanisms that shape the social networks of gated community residents. The article concludes that a focus on the perspectives of female gated community residents in Bahrain enhances understandings of urbanization and migration in the Gulf city.