Abstract
“What defines a feminist?” is a heavily debated question within scholarly and mainstream discourse. Although prior studies have examined adults’ definitions of feminist, less is known about adolescents’ conceptualizations. This study explores definitions of “feminist” in a mixed-gender, racially/ethnically diverse sample of high-school adolescents in the Southeastern United States (n = 213; Mage = 16.23, SDage = .76; 61% adolescent girls; 47% White/Caucasian, 25% Hispanic/Latinx, 23% Black/African American). Participants responded to the open-ended prompt: “How do you define the word ‘feminist’?” Thematic analysis identified three overarching themes: (1) supporting gender equality and women’s rights (63% of responses), with four subthemes: gender equality, women’s rights, activism, pro-women; (2) seeking attention and power over men (24% of responses), with three subthemes: gender adversaries, pejorative views of feminists, feminism is unnecessary; and (3) confusing feminist with other terms and concepts (14% of responses), including mixing up terms and concepts and unsure. Participants expressed multiple subthemes in their individual responses, with some defining “feminist” in both positive and negative ways. Overlap among themes is discussed in the context of multifaceted notions of feminism. Although definitions about gender equality were more common than those focused on feminists seeking power over men, most adolescents (58%) did not identify as a feminist, suggesting additional barriers to self-identifying beyond misunderstanding the goals of feminism or holding negative views of feminists. Findings illuminate both the stability of long-standing tensions about feminists and the novelty of emerging trends in adolescents’ conceptions of feminists.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adichie, C. N. (2012, December). We should all be feminists [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_we_should_all_be_feminists/up-next
Anderson, V. N. (2009). What’s in a label? Judgments of feminist men and feminist women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 33(2), 206–215. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2009.01490.x
Arnold, L. B. (2000). "What is a feminist?": Students’ descriptions. Women and Language, 23(2), 8–18. http://osclg.org/women-language
Baird, M. K., Szymanski, D. M., & Ruebelt, S. G. (2007). Feminist identity development and practice among male therapists. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 8(2), 67–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/1524-9220.8.2.67
Banet-Weiser, S., Gill, R., & Rottenberg, C. (2020). Postfeminism, popular feminism and neoliberal feminism? Sarah Banet-Weiser, Rosalind Gill and Catherine Rottenberg in conversation. Feminist Theory, 21(1), 3–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464700119842555
Bargad, A., & Hyde, J. S. (1991). Women’s studies: A study of feminist identity development in women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 15(2), 181–201. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1991.tb00791.x
Bennett, J. (2014, August 26). How to reclaim the f-word? Just call Beyoncé. Time Magazine. http://time.com/3181644/beyonce-reclaim-feminism-pop-star/
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2012). Thematic analysis. In H. Cooper, P. M. Camic, D. L. Long, A. T. Panter, D. Rindskopf, & K. J. Sher (Eds.), APA handbook of research methods in psychology, Vol. 2: Research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, neuropsychological, and biological (pp. 57–71). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/13620-004
Brewer, S., & Dundes, L. (2018). Concerned, meet terrified: Intersectional feminism and the Women’s March. Women's Studies International Forum, 69, 49–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2018.04.008
Calder-Dawe, O., & Gavey, N. (2016). Jekyll and Hyde revisited: Young people’s constructions of feminism, feminists and the practice of reasonable feminism. Feminism & Psychology, 26(4), 487–507. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353516660993
Calder-Dawe, O., & Gavey, N. (2017). Authentic feminist? Authenticity and feminist identity in teenage feminists’ talk. British Journal of Social Psychology, 56(4), 782–798. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12207
Chamberlain, P. (2016). Affective temporality: Towards a fourth wave. Gender and Education, 28(3), 458–464. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2016.1169249
Cheon, Y. M., Ip, P. S., Haskin, M., & Yip, T. (2020). Profiles of adolescent identity at the intersection of ethnic/racial identity, American identity, and subjective social status. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 959–959. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00959
Conlin, S. E., & Heesacker, M. (2017). Feminist men?: Examining men’s feminist self-identification, activism and the impact of language. Journal of Gender Studies, 27(8), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2017.1371007
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1). http://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclf/vol1989/iss1/8
Davis, A. (1971). Reflections on the black woman's role in the community of slaves. The Black Scholar: The Black Woman, 3(4), 2–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/00064246.1971.11431201
De Fina, A., & Georgakopoulou, A. (2015). The handbook of narrative analysis. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118458204
Edley, N., & Wetherell, M. (2001). Jekyll and Hyde: Men’s constructions of feminism and feminists. Feminism & Psychology, 11(4), 439–457. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353501011004002
Gilbert, S. (2017, October 16). The movement of #MeToo. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/10/the-movement-of-metoo/542979/
Gill, R. (2007). Postfeminist media culture: Elements of a sensibility. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 10(2), 147–166. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549407075898
Gill, R. (2017). The affective, cultural and psychic life of postfeminism: A postfeminist sensibility 10 years on. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 20(6), 606–626. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549417733003
Gleason, B. (2018). Adolescents becoming feminist on Twitter: New literacies practices, commitments, and identity work. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 62(3), 281–289. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.889
Gundersen, A. B., & Kunst, J. R. (2018). Feminist ≠ feminine? Feminist women are visually masculinized whereas feminist men are feminized. Sex Roles, 80(5–6), 291–309. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-018-0931-7
Hill, J. P., & Lynch, M. E. (1983). The intensification of gender-related role expectations during early adolescence. In J. Books-Gunn, & A. C. Peterson (Eds.), Girls at Puberty. Boston, MA: Springer.
Hines, S. (2019). The feminist frontier: On trans and feminism. Journal of Gender Studies, 28(2), 145–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2017.1411791
hooks, B. (1984). Feminist theory: From margin to center. South End Press.
hooks, B. (2000). Feminism is for everybody: Passionate politics. South End Press.
Hoskin, R. A., Jenson, K. E., Blair, K. L., & Carter, J. (2017). Is our feminism bullshit? The importance of intersectionality in adopting a feminist identity. Cogent Social Sciences, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2017.1290014
Houvouras, S., & Scott Carter, J. (2008). The f word: College students’ definitions of a feminist. Sociological Forum, 23(2), 234–256. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1573-7861.2008.00072.x
Hoyt, M. A., & Kennedy, C. L. (2008). Leadership and adolescent girls: A qualitative study of leadership development. American Journal of Community Psychology, 42(3–4), 203–219. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-008-9206-8
Hurt, M. M., Nelson, J. A., Turner, D. L., Haines, M. E., Ramsey, L. R., Erchull, M. J., & Liss, M. (2007). Feminism: What is it good for? Feminine norms and objectification as the link between feminist identity and clinically relevant outcomes. Sex Roles, 57(5–6), 355–363. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9272-7
Jackson, L. A., Fleury, R. E., & Lewandowski, D. A. (1996). Feminism: Definitions, support, and correlates of support among female and male college students. Sex Roles, 34(9–10), 687–693. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01551502
Jackson, S. (2018). Young feminists, feminism and digital media. Feminism & Psychology, 28(1), 32–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353517716952
Jenen, J., Winquist, J., Arkkelin, D., & Schuster, K. (2009). Implicit attitudes towards feminism. Sex Roles, 60(1), 14–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9514-3
Kendall, M. (2020). Hood feminism: Notes from the women that a movement forgot. Viking.
Knowles, B., Muka, A., Nash, T., Hollis, C., Martin, R. D., Muhammad, R., & Adichie, C. N. (2013). ***Flawless [Recorded by B. Knowles]. On Beyoncé [Digital download]. Los Angeles, CA: Parkwood Entertainment.
Leaper, C., & Arias, D. M. (2011). College women’s feminist identity: A multidimensional analysis with implications for coping with sexism. Sex Roles, 64(7–8), 475–490. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-011-9936-1
Leaper, C., & Brown, C. S. (2008). Perceived experiences with sexism among adolescent girls. Child Development, 79(3), 685–704. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01151.x
Leaper, C., Farkas, T., & Brown, C. S. (2012). Adolescent girls’ experiences and gender-related beliefs in relation to their motivation in Math/Science and English. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41(3), 268–282. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-011-9693-z
Manago, A. M., Spears Brown, C., & Leaper, C. (2009). Feminist identity among Latina adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 24(6), 750–776. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558409341079
McHugh, M. L. (2012). Interrater reliability: The kappa statistic. Biochemia Medica, 22(3), 276–282. https://www.biochemia-medica.com/en
McIntyre, A. (2001). You should watch at least one show of Jerry Springer: Urban girls explore the meaning of feminism. Feminism & Psychology, 11(2), 157–161. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353501011002003
McNulty, J. (2019, September 17). Youth activism is on the rise around the globe, and adults should pay attention, says author. UC Santa Cruz NewsCenter. https://news.ucsc.edu/2019/09/taft-youth.html
Munro, E. (2013). Feminism: A fourth wave? Political Insight, 4(2), 22–25. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-9066.12021
Murnen, S. K., & Smolak, L. (2009). Are feminist women protected from body image problems? A meta-analytic review of relevant research. Sex Roles, 60(3), 186–197. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9523-2
Nelson, J. A., Liss, M., Erchull, M. J., Hurt, M. M., Ramsey, L. R., Turner, D. L., & Haines, M. E. (2008). Identity in action: Predictors of feminist self-identification and collective action. Sex Roles, 58(9–10), 721–728. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9384-0
Offen, K. (1988). Defining feminism: A comparative historical approach. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 14(1), 119–157. https://doi.org/10.1086/494494
Ogletree, S. M., Diaz, P., & Padilla, V. (2019). What is feminism? College students’ definitions and correlates. Current Psychology, 38, 1576–1589. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9718-1
Pessar, P. R. (1995). On the homefront and in the workplace: Integrating immigrant women into feminist discourse. Anthropological Quarterly, 68(1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.2307/3317463
Pomerantz, S., Raby, R., & Stefanik, A. (2013). Girls run the world? Gender & Society, 27(2), 185–207. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243212473199
Priess, H. A., Lindberg, S. M., & Hyde, J. S. (2009). Adolescent gender-role identity and mental health: Gender intensification revisited. Child Development, 80(5), 1531–1544. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01349.x
Proweller, A., Catlett, B. S., & Crabtree-Nelson, S. (2021). Feminist activism and YPAR: Privileged girls interrupt rape culture. Violence against Women, 27(15–16), 3157–3175. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801220978811
Rafferty, J. P. (2019, January 14). Women’s March. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Womens-March-2017
Reid, A., & Purcell, N. (2004). Pathways to feminist identification. Sex Roles, 50(11), 759–769. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SERS.0000029095.40767.3c
Robnett, R. D., & Anderson, K. J. (2017). Feminist identity among women and men from four ethnic groups. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 23(1), 134–142. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000095
Scharff, C. (2011). It is a colour thing and a status thing, rather than a gender thing: Negotiating difference in talk about feminism. Feminism & Psychology, 21(4), 458–476. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353511419816
Seales, R. (2018, May 12). What has #MeToo actually changed? BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-44045291
Suter, E. A., & Toller, P. W. (2006). Gender role and feminism revisited: A follow-up study. Sex Roles, 55(1–2), 135–146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-006-9065-4
Swirsky, J. M., & Angelone, D. J. (2014). Femi-nazis and bra burning crazies: A qualitative evaluation of contemporary beliefs about feminism. Current Psychology, 33(3), 229–245. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-014-9208-7
Swirsky, J. M., & Angelone, D. J. (2016). Equality, empowerment, and choice: What does feminism mean to contemporary women? Journal of Gender Studies, 25(4), 445–460. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2015.1008429
Szymanski, D. M. (2004). Relations among dimensions of feminism and internalized heterosexism in lesbians and bisexual women. Sex Roles, 51(3–4), 145–159. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SERS.0000037759.33014.55
Trinh, S., & Choukas-Bradley, S. (2018). No messages needed – just pats on the back: Exploring young men’s reports of male and female friends’ sexual communications. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 19, 430–438. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000113
Walfield, S. M. (2018). Men cannot be raped: Correlates of male rape myth acceptance. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518817777
White, D. G. (1985). Aren’t I a woman: Female slaves in the Plantation South. W. W. Norton & Company.
Widman, L., Kamke, K., Evans, R., Stewart, J. L., Choukas-Bradley, S., & Golin, C. E. (2020). Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a brief online sexual health program for adolescents. The Journal of Sex Research, 57(2), 145–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1630800
Wiley, S., Srinivasan, R., Finke, E., Firnhaber, J., & Shilinsky, A. (2012). Positive portrayals of feminist men increase men’s solidarity with feminists and collective action intentions. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 37(1), 61–71. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684312464575
Williams, R., & Wittig, M. A. (1997). "I’m not a feminist, but...": Factors contributing to the discrepancy between pro-feminist orientation and feminist social identity. Sex Roles, 37(11–12), 885–904. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02936345
Witt, E. (2019, February 13). From Parkland to Sunrise: A year of extraordinary youth activism. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/from-parkland-to-sunrise-a-year-of-extraordinary-youth-activism
Wray-Lake, L., & Syvertsen, A. K. (2011). The developmental roots of social responsibility in childhood and adolescence. In C. Flanagan, B. Christens (Vol. Eds.), L. Jensen, & R. Larson (Series Eds.), New directions for child and adolescent development 134, (11–25). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Yoder, J. D., Perry, R. L., & Saal, E. I. (2007). What good is a feminist identity?: Women’s feminist identification and role expectations for intimate and sexual relationships. Sex Roles, 57(5–6), 365–372. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9269-2
Yoder, J. D., Tobias, A., & Snell, A. F. (2011). When declaring “I am a feminist” matters: Labeling is linked to activism. Sex Roles, 64(1–2), 9–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-010-9890-3
Zacharek, S., Dockterman, E., & Edwards, H. S. (2017, December). The Time person of the year: The silence breakers. Time Magazine. http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/
Zeisler, A. (2017). We were feminists once: From Riot Grrrl to Covergirl, the buying and selling of a political movement. PublicAffairs.
Zucker, A. N. (2004). Disavowing social identities: What it means when women say, "I'm not a feminist, but...". Psychology of Women Quarterly, 28(4), 423–435. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2004.00159.x
Zucker, A. N., & Bay-Cheng, L. Y. (2010). Minding the gap between feminist identity and attitudes: The behavioral and ideological divide between feminists and non-labelers. Journal of Personality, 78(6), 1895–1924. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2010.00673.x
Acknowledgements
We thank members of the Choukas-Bradley and Widman labs for assistance with data collection and cleaning. We specifically thank Emma Stewart, Julia Friedman, Madeline Rushlau, Yiyao Zhou, and Madelaine Romito for assistance with manuscript preparation. We also thank Mitch Prinstein for resources that assisted with data collection. Anne J. Maheux and Savannah R. Roberts were supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships (No. 1940700). Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Study conception, design, and data collection were performed by EAC, CPB, JLS, LW, and SCB. Data analysis was performed by EAC, CPB, and SCB. The first draft of the manuscript was written primarily by EAC and SCB, with contributions from CPB, AJM, and SRR. All authors provided feedback on drafts and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Research Involving Human Participants
The study conforms to APA standards on the ethical treatment of participants and was approved by a university Institutional Review Board.
Informed Consent
Participants’ parent or guardian gave informed consent for their child to participate in this study. Participants gave written assent to participate in the study on the day of data collection.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Carrino, E.A., Bryen, C.P., Maheux, A.J. et al. Are Feminists Empowered Activists or Entitled Whiners? A Thematic Analysis of U.S. Adolescents’ Definitions of “Feminist” in a Diverse, Mixed-Gender Sample. Sex Roles 86, 395–414 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-021-01260-3
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-021-01260-3