Power, Distinction, Display: Excavating Elites

One of the most dramatic changes immediately visible in the networks over time is the growing presence of women. As can be seen above, men (in blue), dominated in 1860, but in 1900, and especially in 1940, married women (red) and single women (yellow) were a growing presence in the social networks of Chicago's elite. Indeed, by 1940, women actually outnumbered men in the network. 

Did this mean that women became part of the elite? In part, yes, but we need to look more closely at where exactly women were located within the structure of the social space. When looking more closely at 1860, 1900, and 1940, we see that actually, women's social capital as measured quantitatively actually declined even as more women were part of the network. Men continued to monopolize the most well-connected and powerful positions in the network from 1860 to 1940, and may have even become more dominant.