Women’s Relationship to Feminism: Generations, Activism, and Commitment

1. Women’s Relationship to Feminism:  Generations, Activism, and Commitment Lauren E. Duncan Smith College September 13, 2008

2. Please answer • How do you define feminism? • What comes to mind when you think of feminists?

3. Popular Myths about Feminism • Feminism is dead • Young women do not identify as feminists • Young feminists are not as committed to feminism as older feminists

4. Feminism is dead

5. Research shows • Young women are just as committed to feminism as their elders • Concerns of feminists may differ by generation

6. Today • Two aspects of identity important to women’s relationship to feminism and activism • Generation • Feminist identification

7. Generations and Development From Stewart & Healy (1989)

8. Radcliffe College Class of 1947 (Duncan & Agronick, 1995)

9. Radcliffe College Class of 1964 (Duncan & Agronick, 1995)

10. Baby Boomers vs. Generation X

11. Zucker (2004) • Feminists • Endorse cardinal beliefs of feminism and high feminist identification • Non-feminists • Do not endorse cardinal beliefs of feminism and low feminist identification • Non-labelers • Endorse cardinal beliefs of feminism and low feminist identification

12. The Current Study • Activist women, by generation and self-identified feminist status • “How do you define feminism?” • “What comes to mind when you think of feminists?” • Components of feminist identity • Activist commitment

13. Age

14. Education

15. Women of Color

16. Liberal Ideology

17. Fighting Gender Socialization “How do you define feminism?”

18. Fighting Gender Socialization • “Fighting gender constraints” • “Feminism is the belief that all humans are created as equals and that if they are not treated as such, society, not nature, is at fault and must be changed. We have a much better chance at changing society than we do nature.”

19. “How do you define feminism?” Equal Rights

20. Equal Rights • “The struggle for women to be treated as equals.” • “Individuals who favor the equal treatment and opportunity of women and men and working towards equality in work, government, etc. and favoring any steps to create this.”

21. “How do you define feminism?” Improving Women’s Position

22. Improving Women’s Position • “A political movement to better women’s position in society in all realms.” • “A movement to improve a woman’s economic and political status.”

23. “How do you define feminism?” Negative Associations

24. Negative Associations • “Getting equal rights at any cost. Changing women to womin.” • “In general, overrun by women with big egos--movement pushing for equal rights in every facet of society.” • “I say womanist not feminist- as an objection to a large amount of the politicking associated with the feminist movement. It has essentially given the movement a white, middle class, heterosexual value structure and does not meet the needs of the poor, minorities, and the women it claims to represent.”

25. “What comes to mind when you think of feminists?” Outspoken, Independent

26. Outspoken, Independent • “Head-strong determined women” • “Outspoken and strong women” • “Assertive” • “They are strong and proud of being women. They make no apologies and take no crap from men.”

27. “What comes to mind when you think of feminists?” Intelligent

28. Intelligent • “Women who think” • “Resourceful” • “Smart, politically insightful” • “Competent”

29. “What comes to mind when you think of feminists?” Specific Women Role Models

30. Specific Women Role Models • “Gloria Steinem” • “Helen Reddy’s I am Woman.” • “My mother-- Women who have accepted responsibility for their own lives and make choices for the betterment of all people.” • “Pro-choice, creative, grassroots, lesbians, liberal women, handicapped women, Germaine Greer, Marlo Thomas, women’s colleges.”

31. “What comes to mind when you think of feminists?” General Positive Characteristics

32. General Positive Characteristics • “Interesting women” • “Truth, light, beauty” • “YAY!” • “Cool women”

33. “What comes to mind when you think of feminists?” General Negative Characteristics

34. General Negative Characteristics • “Radical lesbians-women who dress trashy-women who hate men-we were told having a career is “fulfilling” and “exciting” but no one told us how to prepare for careers or that a job in and of itself will not totally satisfy one’s needs.” • “Angry, scape-goated, misunderstood, poorly directed, separatist.” • “A nation of women who believe in equality, or at least state this belief, but who are so distracted by power and its perks that they forget why they are feminists.”

35. Summary • Very few generational differences • Boomers: Older, more educated, associated feminists with specific women role models • Gen X: defined feminism as fighting gender socialization, had more general negative associations with feminists

36. Summary • Many differences by feminist status • Feminists: more educated, more liberal, said feminists are outspoken, intelligent, possess other positive characteristics • Non-feminists: less liberal, less likely to say that feminism is about equal rights and more about improving women’s position, had negative associations with feminism, listed fewer positive and more negative characteristics of feminists • Not so strong feminists: in middle on liberal ideology • Similar to feminists: mentioning equal rights, less likely to have negative associations with feminism • Similar to non-feminists: less likely to say feminists were outspoken, independent,intelligent

37. Components of Feminist Identity • Common fate • Power discontent • System blame • Collective orientation • Cognitive centrality (Gurin & Markus, 1989; Gurin,Miller, & Gurin, 1985)

38. Common Fate “Do you think what happens generally to women in this country will have something to do with what happens in your life?”

39. Power Discontent “Women have (too much, about the right amount, not enough) power and influence in society”

40. System Blame “Men have more of the top jobs because our society discriminates against women”

41. Collective Orientation “It is not enough for a woman to be successful herself. Women must all work together to change laws and customs which are unfair to all women.”

42. Cognitive Centrality “How often in your everyday life do you think about being a woman and what you have in common with women and men?”

43. Summary • No generational differences • Boomers and Gen Xers both high in common fate, power discontent, system blame, cognitive centrality of gender • Differences by feminist status • Feminists highest, not so strong feminists in the middle, non-feminists lowest in common fate, system blame, cognitive centrality of gender • Non-feminists lower than other two groups in power discontent • No differences in collective orientation

44. Personal Political Salience • Please rate each of the following events for how personally meaningful it is (or • was) to you (i.e., how much it affected your life or reflects your values and • concerns): • 1 = not at all important or personally meaningful • 2 = somewhat important or personally meaningful • 3 = very important or personally meaningful • Cold War 1 2 3 Persian Gulf War 1 2 3 • Great Depression 1 2 3 World War II 1 2 3 • Women's Movement 1 2 3 Hiroshima 1 2 3 • Vietnam War 1 2 3 McCarthyism 1 2 3 • Civil Rights Movement 1 2 3 Sexual revolution 1 2 3 • Kennedy assassination 1 2 3 Black Power 1 2 3 • Freeing Nelson Mandela 1 2 3 Reagan presidency 1 2 3

45. Collective Action From the following list please indicate any causes you may have been involved in during the past and the type of activity which best describes your involvement. Circle as many numbers as applicable. 1.....Signed a petition 2.....Contributed money 3.....Wrote a letter, called, or called on a public official 4.....Attended a meeting 5.....Was an active member of an organization 6.....Attended a rally or demonstration Abortion rights.................................. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Anti-war/peace.......................... 1 2 3 4 5 6 Business/professional................. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Child care……………………….. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Civil rights.............................. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Crime/neighborhood watch….. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Education....................... 1 2 3 4 5 6 Employment....................... 1 2 3 4 5 6 Environment............................. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Health care…................. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Political candidate.............................. 1 2 3 4 5 6 “Support our troops”........... 1 2 3 4 5 6 Taxes……......................... 1 2 3 4 5 6 Welfare rights…………………… 1 2 3 4 5 6 Other (specify) _______________ 1 2 3 4 5 6

46. Activist Commitment, by Generation

47. Activist Commitment, by Status

48. Summary • Generation • Boomers more politically engaged and active than Gen Xers • Feminist status • Feminists more politically engaged and active than other two groups • Not so strong feminists resemble non-feminists in lack of feminist commitment

49. Conclusions • Generation • Very few differences in definitions of feminism, associations with feminist, and feminist identity • Boomers more politically engaged and active than Gen Xers • Feminist status • Not so strong feminists resemble feminists in some ways and non-feminists in others • Like feminists in holding some positive and few negative associations with feminism • Like non-feminists in lack of activist commitment

50. Election 2008