Abstract
Life experiences that expose individuals to feminism lead to greater subsequent self-identification as feminist (e.g., D. H. Henderson-King & A. J. Stewart, 1999). The goal of this research was to identify mediators of this exposure–identification relationship. Ninety-six women completed measures of prior exposure to feminism, feminist self-identification, and a set of potential mediating variables. Results suggest that the exposure–identification relationship is at least partially (if not fully) mediated by common fate with women and negative evaluations of feminists; women with more prior exposure to feminism reported greater common fate with women and less negative evaluations of feminists, each of which, in turn, was associated with stronger feminist identification. Limitations of the model and alternative pathways to politicized gender consciousness are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Arbuckle, J. L. (1999). AMOS 4.0 [computer software]. Chicago: SmallWaters Corporation.
Bargad, A., & Hyde, J. S. (1991). Women's studies: A study of feminist identity development in women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 15, 181-201.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173-1182.
Berryman-Fink, C., & Verderber, K. S. (1985). Attributions of the term feminist: A factor analytic development of a measuring instrument. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 9, 51-64.
Boisnier, A. D. (2003). Race and women's identity development: Distinguishing between feminism and womanism among Black and White women. Sex Roles, 49, 211-218.
Burn, S. M., Aboud, R., & Moyles, C. (2000). The relationship between gender social identity and support for feminism. Sex Roles, 42, 1081-1089.
Cowan, G., Mestlin, M., & Masek, J. (1992). Predictors of feminist self-labeling. Sex Roles, 27, 321-330.
CUNY Website. (2000). Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity and college: Fall 2000 (Table 5) [Electronic version]. Retrieved March 2002, from http://www.cuny.edu/topframeabtcuny.html
Deaux, K., Reid, A., Mizrahi, K., & Cotting, D. (1997). Connecting the person to the social: The functions of social identification. In T. R. Tyler, R. Kramer, & O. John (Eds.), The psychology of the social self (pp. 91-114). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Downing, N. E., & Roush, K. L. (1984). From passive acceptance to active commitment: A model of feminist identity development for women. Counseling Psychologist, 13, 695-709.
Duncan, L. E. (1999). Motivation for collective action: Group consciousness as mediator of personality, life experiences, and women's rights activism. Political Psychology, 20, 611-635.
Fassinger, R. E., & Richie, B. S. (1994). Being the best: Preliminary results from a national study of the achievement of prominent Black and White women. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 41, 191-204.
Gurin, P. (1985). Women's gender consciousness. Public Opinion Quarterly, 49, 143-163.
Gurin, P., Miller, A. H., & Gurin, G. (1980). Stratum identification and consciousness. Social Psychology Quarterly, 43, 30-47.
Henderson-King, D. H., & Stewart, A. J. (1994). Women or feminist? Assessing women's group consciousness. Sex Roles, 31, 505-516.
Henderson-King, D. H., & Stewart, A. J. (1999). Educational experiences and shifts in group consciousness: Studying women. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 390-399.
Huddy, L., Neely, F., & Lafay, M. R. (2000). The polls-trends: Support for the women's movement. Public Opinion Quarterly, 64, 309-350.
Hunter, A. G., & Sellers, S. L. (1998). Feminist attitudes among African American women and men. Gender and Society, 12, 81-99.
Jones, G. P., & Jacklin, C. N. (1988). Changes in sexist attitudes toward women during introductory women's and men's studies courses. Sex Roles, 18, 611-622.
Liss, M., O'Connor, C., Morosky, E., & Crawford, M. (2001). What makes a feminist? Predictors and correlates of feminist social identity in college women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 25, 124-133.
Martin, J. K., & Hall, G. C. N. (1992). Thinking Black, thinking internal, thinking feminist. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 39, 509-514.
Miller, A. H., Gurin, P., Gurin, G., & Malanchuck, O. (1981). Group consciousness and political participation. American Journal of Political Science, 25, 494-511.
Morgan, B. L. (1996). Putting the feminism into feminism scales: Introduction of a Liberal Feminist Attitude and Ideology Scale (LFAIS). Sex Roles, 34, 359-390.
Myaskovsky, L., & Wittig, M. A. (1997). Predictors of feminist social identity among college women. Sex Roles, 37, 861-883.
Reid, A., & Deaux, K. (2004). Assessing collectivism at the group level: Development of SISCOL (Social Identity-Specific Collectivism). Unpublished manuscript.
Rowland, R. (1986). Women who do and women who don't join the women's movement: Issues for conflict and collaboration. Sex Roles, 14, 679-692.
Ruble, D. N., Croke, J. A., Frieze, I., & Parsons, J. E. (1975). A field study of sex-role attitude change in college women. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 5, 110-117.
Scott, R., Richards, A., & Wade, M. (1977). Women's studies as change agent. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 1, 377-379.
Shrout, P. E., & Bolger, N. (2002). Mediation in experimental and nonexperimental studies: New procedures and recommendations. Psychological Methods, 7, 422-445.
Simon, B., Loewy, M., Sturmer, S., Weber, U., Freytag, P., Habig, C., et al. (1998). Collective identification and social movement participation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 646-658.
Stake, J. E., Roades, L., Rose, S., Ellis, L., & West, C. (1994). The women's studies experience: Impetus for feminist action. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 18, 17-24.
Stake, J. E., & Rose, S. (1994). The long-term impact of women's studies on students' personal lives and political activism. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 18, 403-412.
Tajfel, H. (1981). Human groups and social categories: Studies in social psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Taylor, D. M., & McKirnan, D. J. (1984). A five stage model of intergroup relations. British Journal of Social Psychology, 23, 291-300.
Thomsen, C. J., Basu, A. M., & Reinitz, M. T. (1995). Effects of women's studies courses on gender-related attitudes of women and men. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 19, 419-426.
Twenge, J. M., & Zucker, A. N. (1999). What is a feminist? Evaluations and stereotypes in closed-and open-ended responses. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 23, 591-605.
Williams, R., & Wittig, M. A. (1997). “I'm not a feminist, but...”: Factors contributing to the discrepancy between pro-feminist orientation and feminist social identity. Sex Roles, 37, 885-904.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Reid, A., Purcell, N. Pathways to Feminist Identification. Sex Roles 50, 759–769 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SERS.0000029095.40767.3c
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SERS.0000029095.40767.3c