Street-Level Bureaucrats in the Neighborhoods: Participation in Municipal Women’s Conferences in Recife (Brazil)

Why do inhabitants commit themselves in participatory institutions ? This article aims at studying grassroots women’s participatory practices, through the case of women’s municipal conferences in Recife. It shows that their commitment fall within a « participatory career » through which they achieve symbolical and material resources. They use these resources to construct a leadership position in their neighborhood.