What’s in a Name? Two Approaches to Evaluating the Label Feminist

Abstract

Across two studies, we employed unique approaches to investigating the meaning of the label feminist using a sample of undergraduates from a large Northeastern university in the U.S. In Study 1 (N=60), we utilized an impression formation paradigm to investigate the meaning of the label feminist when applied to typical college student. The results revealed that feminist males were rated less favorably than nonfeminist males and feminist females were rated more favorably than nonfeminist females. In Study 2 (N=112), we examined the context-free associations that people have with the label feminist using two implicit attitude measures. Females reported positive implicit associations with the label feminist while males expressed neutral to slightly negative implicit associations with feminists.

By name or by deed? Identifying the source of the feminist stigma

“…Within the social setting of our second study, findings fully supported our first hypothesis that women who call themselves feminists risk being the targets of both prejudice and discrimination. Specifically, unlike Breen and Karpinski's () findings that suggest it may be desirable for college women to identify themselves as feminists, we found that the same woman is evaluated less favorably by her student peers when she calls herself a feminist than when she does not do so. Furthermore, after adjustments for covariates, we found that a woman's decision to publicly describe herself as a feminist can be socially isolating because it causes others to shy away from wanting to both be her friend and date her.…”

“…Given the paucity of prior research comparing reactions to the feminist label with those to feminist behavior, we were reluctant to offer predictions regarding people's reactions to a woman who simultaneously identifies herself as a feminist and behaves like a feminist. Breen and Karpinski's () research suggests that a woman who pairs feminist behavior with the feminist label is deemed normative and desirable by university students like those participating in our studies. However, if our assumption is correct that the stigma associated with the feminist label is a product of the threat posed by feminist behaviors geared toward countering gender inequality, it would stand to reason that people will react similarly to a woman who both identifies herself as a feminist and behaves like a feminist as they will to a woman who only does one of these two things.…”

“…Generally, men think less favorably of feminists than do women (Breen & Karpinski, ; Henderson‐King & Zhermer, ; Twenge & Zucker, ; Williams & Wittig, ) and feminists are evaluated less favorably than are women in general, housewives, and traditional women (Haddock & Zanna, ; MacDonald & Zanna, ; Twenge & Zucker, ). Perhaps, not surprisingly, people who do not describe themselves as feminists evaluate feminists more negatively than do self‐identified feminists (Breen & Karpinski, ; Houvouras & Carter, ; Liss, O'Connor, Morosky, & Crawford, ; Myaskovsky & Wittig, ; Ramsey et al., ). However, even those women who self‐identify as feminists tend to hold views of typical feminists that are aligned with those of the dominant culture, in that they describe themselves as less extreme than typical feminists (Liss et al., ).…”

What's in a Label? Judgments of Feminist Men and Feminist Women

“…It is probably safe to assume that the term or concept “feminist” evokes images of women rather than men (Berryman‐Fink & Verderber, 1985; Williams & Wittig, 1997). To be clear about the sex of the feminist target, in the current study, participants rated the terms “feminist man” and “feminist woman” in addition to “man” and “woman.” This study also improves on and adds to Breen and Karpinski's research (2008); they used only three items in their measure of negative impression of feminists and nonfeminists, and their sample of men was relatively small.…”

“…Men have played and continue to play important roles in the feminist movement; however, they are much less likely than women to identify themselves as feminists (Breen & Karpinski, 2008; Burn et al, 2000; Henderson‐King & Zhermer, 2003; Jackson et al, 1996; Peltola et al, 2004; Pierce, Sydie, Stratkotter, & Krull, 2003; Williams & Wittig, 1997). As with stereotypes about feminist women, stereotypes about feminist men may negatively affect their willingness to adopt the feminist label and become active in the feminist movement.…”