Abstract
Feminist identity is a multidimensional construct, associated with significant physical and psychological outcomes. Despite this, it has previously been largely conceptualised and measured as unidimensional. To address this limitation, we developed a multidimensional measure of feminist identity using the framework of social identity theory. A total of 1493 respondents (81.8% women, 16.6% men, 1.5% other genders) aged between 18 and 75 years (M= 31.55, SD=11.37) completed an online survey. Following Confirmatory Factor Analysis, expert evaluation (N = 21), and testing of the model in a separate sample (N= 504), the Feminist Social Identity Scale (FSIS) was created. The FSIS is comprised of 36-items which measure feminist identity across 12 subscales and has excellent internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity indices. Latent Class Analysis revealed that the FSIS successfully distinguishes between different levels of feminist identity. The FSIS will aid future researchers to examine feminist identity as a multidimensional construct, avoiding the limitations of single construct measures.
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Acknowledgements
Professor Christine Critchley passed away shortly before the completion of this manuscript. The first author would like to express her greatest appreciation for Christine’s supervision and contribution to this research. Christine will be greatly missed.
Thank you to Dr Evita March for aiding in the final stages of the completion of this manuscript, and to Jo-ann Larkins and Eden Chalker for their assistance.
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Poll, A., Critchley, C. Development and validation of the feminist social identity scale. Curr Psychol 42, 12614–12629 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02590-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02590-x