"Proud To Be a Girl": A Mixed Methods Study of Feminist Identification and Beliefs About Feminism in Adolescent Girls

Feminism is culturally salient for adolescent girls and may be psychologically protective. Despite adolescence being a key period of identity development, little is known about how adolescent girls perceive and orient toward feminism. Using a diverse sample of 586 adolescent girls from across the US (32% Black, 28% white, 11% Latina, 5% Asian American, 21% multiracial), a mixed methods analysis was conducted to explore (1) girls' rates of feminist orientation, (2) their beliefs about feminism, and (3) the psychosocial factors related to a feminist orientation. Nearly half of girls considered themselves to be feminists and qualitative responses revealed considerable diversity and nuance in girls' beliefs about feminism, including varied praises and criticisms. Quantitative analysis showed feminist orientation to be correlated with more frequent experiences with gender discrimination, as well as indices of gender identity, including gender identity centrality and self-perceived similarity to boys (though not similarity to girls). These findings provide important insights into the ways a feminist identity can support adolescent girls' well-being.