College Women’s Feminist Identity: A Multidimensional Analysis with Implications for Coping with Sexism

✍ Scribed by Campbell Leaper; Diana M. Arias

• Book ID: 106529663
• Publisher: Springer US
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 287 KB
• Volume: 64
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0360-0025
• DOI: 10.1007/s11199-011-9936-1

✦ Synopsis

This study examined components of women’s feminist identity and possible relations to their reported coping responses to sexism. A sample of 169 undergraduate women (M = 19.4 y, SD = 1.2) from diverse ethnic backgrounds completed surveys assessing their experiences and gender-related views. The first set of analyses revealed that women’s social gender identity, exposure to feminism, and gender-egalitarian attitudes independently contributed to feminist identification; moreover, non-stereotyping of feminists further predicted feminist self-identification. A second set of analyses tested the relative contribution of feminist identity components to women’s cognitive appraisals of coping responses to sexual harassment. Seeking social support was predicted by self-identification as a feminist (for White European American women only). Confronting was predicted by social gender identity, non-stereotyping of feminists, and public identification as a feminist. Findings highlight possible components of women’s feminist identity and their possible impact on coping responses to sexism.