ARTICLE I.

RC 32 (Women in Society) was established in 1973 with the name Sex Roles in Society, in accordance with what was then Article XI of the ISA Statutes. The Research Committee emerged from a Working Group with the same name established at the VII World Congress of Sociology in 1970 in response to a petition from women and men at that Congress The title of RC 32 was changed to Women in Society by a mail ballot among its members in 1980. RC 32 is organized according to 10 Article 4 of the Statutes of ISA.

RC 32 raises its own funds primarily from membership dues. RC 32 may also apply and receive funds from the ISA and appropriate sources. RC 32 administers its own funds through the election of a Secretary/Treasurer who, in conjunction with the ISA, collects and banks dues and keeps up to date membership lists, and provides a financial report.

ARTICLE II. OBJECTIVES

The objectives of RC 32 are:

(a) to promote the development of theory, methods, and practice concerning women in society and the gendered nature of social institutions

(b) to encourage the critical evaluation of current sociological paradigms from the perspective of all subordinate groups, including women

(c) to promote perspectives and foster consciousness concerning women's rights throughout the world

(d) to improve research, organize meetings, and promote other means of communication, cooperation and collaboration among researchers at the national, regional, and international levels

(e) to forge links with research committees on women in other international social science associations (e.g., IUAES, IPSA, etc.) in order to exchange information across interdisciplinary boundaries and to promote mutually beneficial joint ventures (e.g., planning inter-Congress and pre-Congress conferences, producing newsletters, etc.)

(f) to maintain continuing contact with UN agencies, and non- governmental organizations (NGOs) germane to our activities, to maintain continuing links with other research groups within the ISA, and to take an active part in establishing international priorities through consultancy, advocacy, and networking activities; and

(g) to contribute to increase awareness of the objectives and activities of the ISA.

ARTICLE III. ACTIVITIES

The following are the major means employed to achieve these objectives:
(a) on-going information exchange among members is achieved through the newsletter which is produced at regular intervals and disseminated to members

(b) the Council has a mandate to encourage collaborative international research and to promote RC 32 objectives

(c) officers and members of RC32 initiate and participate in pre-Congress and inter-Congress workshops and conferences

(d) members of RC 32 contribute to international communication through their publications in ISA journals and other social science media, in addition to presenting papers at ISA and RC 32 workshops, conferences, and Congresses

(e) members of RC 32 participate in international research projects in their individual capacities and may use the RC 32 network to locate international collaborators

(f) within the ISA, officers and members of RC32 are encouraged to participate in planning the programs of future Congresses, with particular reference to planning Symposia and
joint sessions with other Research Committees; and

(g) outside the ISA, officers and members of RC32 are encouraged to forge ties with professional associations, women's organizations and international agencies (e.g., within the UN system, INSTRAW, UNIFEM, the WID offices of other UN agencies, the United Nations University, etc.) in order to achieve the above goals.

ARTICLE IV. MEMBERSHIP

(a) The Research Committee consists of individual members

(b) Members vote and participate in activities of the Research Committee. Members are informed of Committee activities and receive its newsletter

(c) Members are expected to observe the statutes of RC 32, to participate actively in recruiting new members, to disseminate news of Committee activities and of research by Committee members, and to participate in the intellectual work of the research committee

(d) Members are expected to pay dues in a timely manner or to seek an exemption from dues. RC 32 strives to facilitate the participation of women from soft currency countries.

ARTICLE V. RC COUNCIL

(a) The governing body of RC 32 is the RC Council which consists of:
-Chair
- Past Chair
- Chair-Elect
- Secretary-Treasurer
- Newsletter Editor
- Chair of the Nominating Committee
- Representative to the Research Council
- Regional Representatives (one to four from each region) to reflect as far as possible the various regions of the world

(b) The Council aims to achieve regional representation of RC 32 membership

(c) Where possible, co-chairs or teams are encouraged to run for election

(d) In the event that a vacancy occurs, or an officer or representative is unable to serve, the Chair may appoint a replacement, with the reasons for choice being explained at the following meeting of the Research Committee

ARTICLE VI. ELECTORAL PROCEDURES

(a) The Council of RC 32 is elected every four years for a four-year term between each World Congress of Sociology, with their term to commence at the following World Congress

(b) At the required world congress general membership meeting, members of RC32 network, set policies and elect a nominating committee consisting of a Chair and members representative of the different regions of RC32 membership. The nominating committee issues a call and solicits nominations both at the general meeting and in the newsletter and receives nominations for all the offices listed above and proposes two candidates for each position. The list of nominees is circulated in a newsletter to all members with a call for additional nominations. The Chair of the nominations committee administers the election by mail ballot, and officers are elected from a list of nominated candidates on the basis of a simple majority of ballots received by the deadline specified on the ballot. In the case of a tie between candidates, the issue is resolved in a manner that is mindful of regional representation, and for candidates from the same region, by drawing lots

(c) A member may be a candidate for more than one office but may only serve in one office at a time

(d) A meeting of members from both the old and new RC 32 Councils is held at the beginning of the World Congress of Sociology to help evaluate past activities, to establish planning committees and to begin to plan activities for the next four years. This meeting is open to all RC 32 members. Officially the new officers begin their mandate at the business meeting after the nominating committee report. In the transition phase, all serving officers who so wish will continue their term until the balloting is finalized and the nominating committee has declared them elected at the next membership meeting. Interim positions will be filled by the Chair

(e) No officer may serve more than two consecutive full terms in the same position

(f) In the event that an officer is unable to serve, the Chair may appoint a replacement, after consultation with other appropriate officers.

ARTICLE VII. RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES OF OFFICERS

(a) Chair: Assumes overall responsibility for the functioning of RC 32 and assumes major responsibility for the RC32 World Congress Program. Organizes or co-organizes the interregional meetings

(b) Chair-Elect: Works in cooperation with the Chair to organize the RC 32 World Congress, and works in cooperation with other officers to carry out RC 32 activities

(c) Past-Chair: Gives advice and support to the Chair and completes projects initiated as Chair, in cooperation with and under the direction of the Chair

(d) Research Council Representative:
Represents RC 32 in the ISA Research Council. This Council meets in the biennium between world congresses, and during the World Congress. The representative is generally in charge of writing a research paper which is representative of the contributions presented by participants in the world meetings. If the Research Council Representative is unable to attend one of these meetings, the Chair should be informed as soon as possible so that an alternate may be named to represent RC 32

(e) Newsletter Editor: Collects, organizes and distributes news of interest to RC 32 members. Newsletter issues should be scheduled in such a way as to maximize participation of members in research committee projects. The incumbent needs to have institutional support such as secretarial and mailing services. The newsletter editor writes
a proposal to the ISA for funding; support, often soon after the election

(f) Regional Representatives: Will take an active part within their region to:

- bring new members to RC 32
- disseminate information on RC 32 and its activities
- locate researchers who could organize sessions and/or otherwise participate in the ISA World Congress and other ISA related conferences
- identify new issues and creative lines of inquiry for further research on women and society

(g) Secretary/Treasurer: Prepares minutes of the business meeting for publication in the RC 32 newsletter with a request for suggested amendments. Corrections are either incorporated or forwarded as amendments to the next business meeting where the minutes are adopted. The Secretary/Treasurer also receives dues from members and maintains financial records and funds, as well as an up-to-date membership list. The incumbent must live in a country without currency controls and restrictions and currency must be convertible. The person keeps an institutional memory of RC 32 history and procedures. The secretary/treasurer makes the updated list of the membership available for all incumbents soon after the election.

ARTICLE VIII. FINAL REGULATIONS

(a) The statutes of RC32 were adopted. (1995)

(b) Amendments to statutes must be proposed to the Chair in writing at least 75 days prior to scheduled RC 32 business meetings (every four years at World Congresses). Amendments are discussed at the business meetings and voted by simple majority of members present or voting in case of mail ballot

(c) The Archives at the University of Colorado is the repository of the ISA RC 32 Women in Society Historical Collection, where both papers presented and RC 32 records are kept. It is the responsibility of both members and the RC Council to ensure that deposits are made.