Attributions of the Term Feminist: A Factor Analytic Development of a Measuring Instrument

Abstract

This study attempts to develop a measure of the attributions of the term feminist. Seven hundred and sixty‐eight undergraduate students (361 males and 407 females) completed a 91‐item semantic differential test relevant to the label feminist. Principal components analysis with orthogonal rotation produced five factors indicating that when the term feminist is used, attributions of General Evaluation, Behavioral Characteristics, Political Orientation, Sexual Preference, and Gender Classification are likely to be made. Factor analysis of split halves of the sample shows an internal replication and consequently, a stability of the obtained factor structure. This study presents students’ judgments on specific items defining these factors, thereby indicating the evaluative associations of the term.

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

“…Most research has found evidence for negative evaluations of feminists and endorsement of negative stereotypes of feminists. For example, several recent and historical studies have found that people had overwhelmingly negative perceptions of feminists as man-hating, stubborn, physically unattractive, and aggressive (Berryman-Fink and Verderber 1985;Goldberg et al 1975;Jacobson 1979;Jacobson and Koch 1978;RoweFinkbeiner 2004;Rhode 1997;Twenge and Zucker 1999;Williams and Wittig 1997). At the same time, feminists are also viewed as having positive characteristics and have been described as being intelligent, career-oriented, productive, and knowledgeable (Berryman-Fink and Verderber 1985;Twenge and Zucker 1999).…”

“…More recently, Twenge and Zucker (1999) used 54 of the same semantic differential scales as Berryman-Fink and Verderber (1985) and also created an additional 41 items for a total of 95 items in order to reflect the changing notions of the label feminist. Participants were prompted with the question, "What is a feminist?"…”

“…Another approach to understanding the meaning of the label feminist has been to have participants freely associate with the label feminist (Berryman-Fink and Verderber 1985). Based upon those free-associations, Berryman-Fink and Verderber created 91 semantic differential scales and subjected them to a factor analysis yielding five factors involved in attributions of the word feminist: general evaluation, behavior, political orientation, sexual preference, and gender.…”

Who is an Environmentalist? The Polysemy of Environmentalist Terms and Correlated Environmental Actions

“…The reluctance of individuals to self-label themselves as environmentalists while agreeing with the associated values is somewhat parallel to some women's discomfort with self-labeling themselves feminists, even while agreeing with feminist values, because of negative connotations associated with the term (Berryman-Fink and Verderber 1985;Henley et al 1998;Twenge and Zucker 1999). We do not believe that the mid-range 50 percent response seen in the first row of Table 1 means that "environmentalist" denotes some middle level between agreeing with the stated goals and being "an active participant."…”

Implicit Attitudes Towards Feminism

“…Many scales have been developed to explore components of explicit attitudes toward feminism (e.g., Fassinger 1994;Berryman-Fink and Verderber 1985;Henley et al 1998). However, researchers have yet to examine implicit attitudes towards feminism.…”