Feminism: Definitions,support, and correlates of support among female and male college students

The purpose of our research was to examine definitions of feminism, support for feminism, and gender attitude and personality trait correlates of support. Using a sample of predominately White college students, findings indicated quite favorable definitions of feminism, and more support than opposition to it, especially among female respondents. Support for feminism was related to 5 of 6 gender attitude dimensions for females, but unrelated to their gender personality traits. For males, support was related to only one gender attitude dimension, and to femininity; more feminine males were more supportive. Implications for the distinction between feminism and feminist and for the status of feminism among college students are discussed.