Religious Freedom in the City Pool: Gender Segregation, Partisanship, and the Construction of Symbolic Boundaries

Abstract Low political support for religious minority groups in the United States is often explained as a matter of social distance or unfamiliarity between traditions. Observable differences beliefs and behaviors cultural mainstream are thought to demarcate group boundaries. However, little scholarship has examined why some practices become symbolic boundaries that reduce accommodation public policy, while nearly identical tolerated. We hypothesize politics an important component process by which transformed into demarcations “us” “them.” conduct original survey experiment people exposed policy demand—women-only swim times at local pool—attributed three different denominations (Muslim, Jewish, Pentecostal). find less supportive women-only when requesting religion not part their partisan coalition.