> You don't need any special invitation or application to join the party. It used to be that you need a firm endorsement of someone that has been a member for

> You don't need any special invitation or application to join the party. It used to be that you need a firm endorsement of someone that has been a member for a few years, and it's still more or less the case a lot of times. You generally need to file an application to join, and you're expected to pay membership fee on a regular basis. CCP membership is by and large a YMMV scenario given how large the country is and how deep the organization runs. While I believe your wife might be in the situation where she felt she had to join (due to her social class, affiliation or being in a certain region), it's not common for someone to be seen as a problem if they decide not to join. From all the years of observation and all the people that I know day to day, most of people join for certain prospect of future benefits, career or social status wise. They know very well it opens the door to another class.