Name
Empowerment and Belonging in Women’s Choirs: A descriptive multiple case study
Date & Time
Thursday, July 30, 2026, 12:20 PM - 12:50 PM
Description
The purpose of this descriptive multiple case study is to explore how empowerment and belonging are experienced and perceived by women in a treble choir setting. The idea of empowerment through song is not new.While mixed group singing has been rigorously studied, women’s choral singing is still rather unexplored, with even fewer studies on empowerment in treble choirs. Study of parallel fields’ research on women’s empowerment in agriculture and global health suggests empowerment may find an impetus in all-women choirs, and connects the choral rehearsal empowerment to the broader, worldwide experiences for women (Kabeer, 1999; Yuval-Davis et al., 2005; Maziva, 2020; Cornwall & Rivas, 2015; Richardson, 2017; Fenster, 2005; hooks, 2009; Zimmerman, 2000). Kabeer’s (1999) proven triadic measurement for women’s empowerment — resources, agency, and achievement — encompasses the interrelatedness of many aspects of empowerment for females, and offers a clarifying framework applicable to a choral setting. Therefore, treble choirs may be one of the richest possible settings in which women can experience empowerment. In addition to empowerment, belonging was an emergent concept in a pilot study completed in 2024. To further understand this finding, four all-female choruses were identified through snowball sampling. After initial contact with each chorus director, singers were sent an email invitation to participate in the study. Twenty-three total singers consented, and interviews were conducted via Zoom in May, 2025. For analysis, an overall inductive and comparative strategy was used on the interview transcripts to extract codes from the data based upon Kabeer’s (1999) resources, agency, and achievement framework, and the emergent theme of belonging from the pilot study. Additionally, codes emergent from both in vivo and focused coding were cross-compared for similarities or differences to other interviewees’ responses. The codes were then collapsed into categories and interpreted, subsequently creating the basis for generating themes. Themes emerging in this analysis are still forthcoming, but show a strong and distinct trend: When asked about empowerment, most women spoke about belonging. Belonging and empowerment have a unique relationship for females in treble choirs. This research offers valuable insight into an experience that supersedes cultural and national borders: belonging via empowerment and empowerment via belonging for women in treble choirs.
Location Name
513B
Full Address
Palais des Congres - Montréal Convention Centre
1001, Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle
Montreal QC H2Z 1H2
Canada
1001, Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle
Montreal QC H2Z 1H2
Canada
Session Type
Paper Presentation
Presenting Author(s)
Catherine Grimm