CONTINGENCIES IN VOLUNTARY CAREER 43 Thirteen of these women are in some professional occupation, five are proprietor'managers and only two work in a clerical capacity. Among the professionals, five are PhDs, three are completing work for a Ph D, five are lawyers and one is in medicine. Thirteen have always worked, three retired from the work force only for child rearing, and four have not worked since childbearing. Only one in this sample is currently unemployed by her own choice. None in this sample have never worked. For those ever married, 11 have (or had) husbands who were professionals, four have husbands in the proprietor-manager classification, and one each have husbands among the categories of skilled and semi-skilled workers. On the basis of all the usual criteria for socio-economic status, members of this sample were generally upper middle class. In addition to the information on education, occupation for husband and wife, class standing was revealed in life style. Respondents owned their own homes and cars, travelled extensively, mingled with prominent members of professional, educational and governmental circles. They entertained one another in generous style, supported charitable causes, contributed time and money to the feminist movement. Those homes I entered were comfortable and handsomely furnished, with ample room for overnight visitors and resources for entertainment. While the pervading style was not ostentatious, it was clear that they had the means to pursue their social concerns without economic hardship. Either through their own or their husband's earnings, these women could manage extensive volunteer careers and all attendant expenses. Motivation Factors Volunteer careers require special motivation. Although men—or unmarried women—are not usually asked why they work, it was necessary to know why people (especially women) volunteer. For men, philanthropic activities can be closely tied to their professional or business advancement. Physicians and lawyers, for example, often belong to civic clubs as a form of discreet advertisement of their services. Such observations are not to deny the altruistic element in volunteerism; but only to note the inescapable fact that volunteerism can also be good for business. But the women in these two volunteer groups are thinking about personal growth and their own identities in their participation. In the Community Leader group, interests outside the home are badly needed. In the EFW group, volunteering is often a response to the discrimination which respondents find in their salaried careers. The Community Leaders speak of needing something to enlarge their existence beyond the home, yet within the traditional scope of expectations for the wife and mother. Some prior socialization to the importance of volunteer work, coming from the social milieu of respondents^ may provide the role models for this work. Respondents did not stress family models for their volunteer work; but nine women mentioned a female relative (mother or grandmother) and 12 women mentioned a