Feminist Identity, Feminist Politics: U.S. Feminists’ Attitudes toward Social Policies

Authors

Maura Kelly, Portland State UniversityFollow
Gordon Gauchat, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Published In

Sociological Perspectives

Document Type

Citation

Publication Date

12-2016

Abstract

Feminist scholars and activists have endorsed a broad and intersectional political agenda that addresses multiple dimensions of inequality, such as gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, and class. We examine whether or not this perspective is also held by self-identified feminists in the general public. Drawing on public opinion polls from 2007 to 2009, we assess self-identified feminists’ attitudes toward a range of social policies. We find that after controlling for sociodemographic factors and political ideology, feminist identity is associated with progressive attitudes on policies related to gender and sexuality (e.g., abortion) as well as policies related to other social justice issues (e.g., immigration, health care). We also find some interactions between feminist identity and gender, age, education, and political ideology, suggesting some heterogeneity in feminists’ political attitudes. Overall, these findings suggest that feminists in the general public support an intersectional social justice agenda rather than a narrow focus on gender issues.

Description

© The Author(s) 2015.

Locate the Document

https://doi.org/10.1177/0731121415594281

DOI

10.1177/0731121415594281

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/21375

Citation Details

Kelly, M., & Gauchat, G. (2016). Feminist Identity, Feminist Politics: U.S. Feminists’ Attitudes toward Social Policies. Sociological Perspectives, 59(4), 855-872.