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Who are Feminists and what do they Believe? The Role of Generations

Jason Schnittker¹; Jeremy Freese²; Brian Powell³

¹ University of Pennsylvania · ² University of Wisconsin–Madison · ³ Indiana University

Using the 1996 General Social Survey, the antecedents of feminist self-identification and their link to gender-related social attitudes are explored. Although most sociodemographic variables show either no relationship or a weak relationship with feminist self-identification, there are strong differences across cohorts. Males and females who were young adults during the “second wave “ of feminism (birth years 1936 to 1955) are more likely to identify as feminists than are those younger or older. In addition, the link between feminist self-identification and some social attitudes is cohort specific: Seemingly profeminist positions distinguish self-identified feminists from nonfeminists only among members of the “second-wave” generation. These results reinforce the importance of political generation and suggest increasing heterogeneity in public conceptions of feminism.

DOI

10.1177/000312240306800406

Volume

68 (4)

Pages

607-622

Language

en

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