Social Implications of Country Clubs in Western Society
Country Clubs are founded upon on the concept of private membership and exclusion of the general public. Country clubs aim to bring people with similar socioeconomic backgrounds together and were never intended to be agencies of social integration. Country clubs continue to socially segregate class based on income through exorbitant membership costs. The history of the country club is strongly laden with racial, ethnic, and gender exclusion, which has been documented since the country club’s origins. However, discrimination has gradually decreased over time and country clubs have become more ethnically and racially diverse.
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