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That is What a Feminist Looks Like: Identification and Exploration of the Factors Underlying the Concept of Feminism and Predicting the Endorsement of Traditional Gender Roles

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Kaitlyn McLaughlin
Kaitlyn McLaughlin
Shelley Aikman at University of North Georgia
Shelley Aikman
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Abstract

The present studies identified the underlying attitudinal factor structure of the concept of feminism, providing a measure of what it means to be a feminist, and explored the predictive validity of these components for self-identifying as a feminist and endorsing traditional gender roles. Data were gathered from student populations (Study 1 n = 199, Study 2 n = 230) and community samples obtained through MTurk (Study 1 n = 204, Study 2 n = 260). Study 1 identified, and Study 2 replicated, four components underlying the concept of feminism (positive personal characteristics, negative stereotypes of feminists, equality/fairness ideals, and stereotypes of womanhood). Further, cluster analysis identified two groups of participants across both studies: (1) one that associates feminism with equality/fairness ideals while being relatively neutral towards the other factors, and (2) one that accentuates the positive aspects of feminism (equality/fairness ideals and positive personal characteristics) while downplaying the negative aspects of feminism (negative stereotypes of feminists). Cluster membership was related to self-identification as a feminist, with the group that accentuates the positive while downplaying the negative being more likely to self-identify as feminist. These studies provide a conceptual understanding of what it means to be a feminist, helping elucidate why people might be hesitant to self-identify as feminist.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
Gender Issues (2020) 37:91–124
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-019-09240-4
1 3
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
That isWhat aFeminist Looks Like: Identication
andExploration oftheFactors Underlying theConcept
ofFeminism andPredicting theEndorsement ofTraditional
Gender Roles
KaitlynMcLaughlin1· ShelleyN.Aikman2
Published online: 26 July 2019
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract
The present studies identified the underlying attitudinal factor structure of the
concept of feminism, providing a measure of what it means to be a feminist, and
explored the predictive validity of these components for self-identifying as a feminist
and endorsing traditional gender roles. Data were gathered from student populations
(Study 1 n = 199, Study 2 n = 230) and community samples obtained through MTurk
(Study 1 n = 204, Study 2 n = 260). Study 1 identified, and Study 2 replicated, four
components underlying the concept of feminism (positive personal characteristics,
negative stereotypes of feminists, equality/fairness ideals, and stereotypes of wom-
anhood). Further, cluster analysis identified two groups of participants across both
studies: (1) one that associates feminism with equality/fairness ideals while being
relatively neutral towards the other factors, and (2) one that accentuates the posi-
tive aspects of feminism (equality/fairness ideals and positive personal characteris-
tics) while downplaying the negative aspects of feminism (negative stereotypes of
feminists). Cluster membership was related to self-identification as a feminist, with
the group that accentuates the positive while downplaying the negative being more
likely to self-identify as feminist. These studies provide a conceptual understanding
of what it means to be a feminist, helping elucidate why people might be hesitant to
self-identify as feminist.
Keywords Feminism· Feminist· Attitudes toward women· Stereotypes· Gender
roles
* Shelley N. Aikman
shelley.aikman@ung.edu
Kaitlyn McLaughlin
kmclaughlin@tiger.brenau.edu
1 Department ofPsychology, Brenau University, Gainesville, GA, USA
2 Department ofPsychological Science, University ofNorth Georgia, Gainesville, GA, USA
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
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