Preferences in family politics

Abstract

This paper challenges the prevailing views that women's support of feminism is primarily a function of personal experiences which result in a transformation of political consciousness. Rather, interests deriving from family context are the more plausible motivating factors. This approach has greater explanatory power because it generalizes easily to the study of men's attitudes as well. An empirical test confirms the usefulness of the approach in explaining support of feminist goals in a sample of American men and women. The paper concludes with a discussion of the particular social or psychological mechanisms which are most likely to underlie the empirical results.