The structure of men's and women's feminist organizations - Feminist identity and feminist opinion

This study considers two problems: the extent to which feminist opinions are distinct from feminist identity and the generalizability of these separate constructs across gender and time. Using pooled cross-sectional data from the six National Election Study surveys conducted from 1972 through 1992, the author employs a series of measurement and structural equation models to evaluate the validity and reliability of various feminist orientations and to estimate the relationships among feminist identity, feminist opinion, and individual characteristics associated with feminism. The results indicate that identity and opinion are separate but related constructs. This configuration generalizes across women and men and two decades of American electoral history.