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Sex-role stereotypes of feminists and nonfeminists

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Abstract

In light of recent attempts by feminists to upgrade the status of women by stressing the positive aspects of femininity, a comparison of sex-role stereotyping by women who endorse women's liberation with those who do not was made. Feminists showed a more positive perception of women; both groups stressed positive feminine traits in describing an ideal woman, but feminists would like to see more dominance in women. Two negative stereotypes, not previously documented, emerged from this analysis: the depiction of men as cooler, more boastful, awkward, and insensitive by the feminists and women's liberationists as more boastful, excitable, and unattractive by the nonfeminists.

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This research was supported in part by the Institute for Sociological Research, Department of Sociology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. The authors are indebted to Russell Endo for his helpful comments and suggestions and to Roy Lotz for his participation in the initial phase of the study.

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Nielsen, J.M., Doyle, P.T. Sex-role stereotypes of feminists and nonfeminists. Sex Roles 1, 83–95 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287215

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