Investigation of the definition, measurement, and development, of feminist identity
The research used a mixed-methods approach to examine feminist identity. The Feminist Social Identity Scale developed and validated in the thesis built upon past definitions and measures in order to more closely align with theory. In the qualitative component of the thesis, the resultant Millennial Feminist Identity Development Model described the pathway to becoming a feminist and provides insight into the influences on feminist identity, and the ways identity is enacted. Overall the thesis provides both practical and theoretical contributions to the literature and demonstrates the ways that social movements such as feminism can be incorporated into individuals everyday lives.
Projects.
Scale development: Developing a multidimensional scale to assess feminist social identity.
Data analysis: Using Mplus to conduct confirmatory factor analysis and SPSS to assess validity and reliability. Conducting a test-retest study to examine reliability over time. Conducting latent class analyses to determine number of groups in the sample.
Expert evaluation: Conducting a review of the scale items based on expert evaluation.
Qualitative research: Conducting in-depth qualitative interviews exploring development of feminist identity using feminists identified by multidimensional scale. Using NVivo to aid analysis of qualitative data. Proposing a new model of feminist identity development.
Key findings.
Through a rigorous scale development process and the responses of 1493 (women = 81.8%, men= 16.6%, other genders= 1.5%) respondents aged between 18 and 75 years (M= 31.55, SD=11.37), a new measure, the Feminist Social Identity Scale (FSIS), was created. This 36-item scale measures feminist identity components across 12 different subscales and was found to have high validity and reliability. A latent class analysis, expert evaluation, and test-retest reliability analyses further supported the psychometric properties of the scale.
Using this newly developed measure, nine young Australian feminists were selected to participate in one-on-one semi-structured qualitative interviews exploring topics including key experiences, self-labelling, and enacting their feminist identity. Using a thematic analysis approach, three phases of feminist identity development were identified: Internalisation, Exploration, and Externalisation. Overall, it was found that the women had internalised messages around gender and feminism throughout their formative years, and through developing a curiosity and affinity towards feminism had come to learn about feminism through engagement within pro-feminist environments including university (i.e., Exploration). Once the women had gained confidence in their own understanding, they began to embody their feminist identities, enacting their feminist identities in their everyday lives, and striving to pass on their understandings to others (i.e. Externalisation). The proposed theory of feminist identity development argues that it is not a linear process, but an ever-evolving cycle.