Do feminist women feel better about their lives? Examining patterns of feminist identity development and women's subjective well-being

Abstract

Relations between women's patterns of feminist identity development and their subjective well-being were explored through an online study with a sample of 691 women ages 18 to 83 from across the United States. The results of a hierarchical cluster analysis indicated that women fall into three groups based on their feminist identity development processes: Women with Traditional Values, Women with Moderate Values, and Women with Feminist Values. The results of the analysis of covariance showed that women who held feminist and moderate values scored significantly higher on a measure of overall well-being-particularly on subscales measuring purpose in life, autonomy, and personal growth-than women with traditional values. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.