The purpose of this paper is to investigate women's voluntary association memberships in Canberra. To gather empirical evidence, a sample survey in four study areas in Canberra was conducted in 1986-87. Three hundred eighty-f our women under 55 years of age who were married or in a de facto relationship were interviewed. The analysis of the data revealed the following;(1) Of the 394 respondents, 68.8% of women belonged to groups, and this membership rate is higher Australian cities. The average number of group membership was 1.44.(2) The main groups women in Canberra belonged to were child-related groups, recreational groups, church or religious groups, and job-related groups.(3) Those who belonged to each type of formal group were characterised as follows Australia-born women in the child-rearing stage or in the child-educating stage, who often worked part-time or did not work outside, belonged to child-related groups ; Australia-born women in the childless stage, who often worked full-time, belonged to recreational groups; Christian, educated women in the child-rearing stage or in the child-educating stage belonged to church or religious groups ; educated women in the childless stage or in the dispersal stage, who often worked full-time, belonged to job-related groups. As these show, each factor had effects on different types of group participation. As a result, educated, Australia-born women in the child-rearing stage or in the child-educating stage belonged to more groups totally.(4) Participants in groups had less frequent contact with relatives than non-participants, but the former had more frequent contact with neighbours and friends than the latter. There was no significant difference in the total frequency of contact between participants and non-participants.(5) Residents in a neighbourhood do not work together in Canberra to guard the residential area, improve the residential environment, or supplement government services. They think that the government should perform these tasks, because they pay rates to the government. Residents in the city are close to the "individualistic self" type of residents, which Professor Okuda found in Japanese cities.(6) Groups are organised in Canberra to face specific issues, Residents interested in such issues voluntarily join these groups. Therefore, a group rarely performs more than two functions, and there are no groups which cover most residents in a neighbourhood.
