ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on feminist organizations, at the expense of research on feminist views among individual citizens. It analyzes the social origins of feminist views in 14 advanced industrial countries: the United States, Canada, Japan, and 11 Western European countries. The chapter also analyzes whether a relationship exists between holding feminist views and becoming politically active on either feminist or other political issues. One possible mediating influence on the strength of feminist views is a country's degree of "objective gender equality." Compared with the attitudinal literature, political activism research presents a clearer portrait of sex-based differences. The "enlightenment thesis" holds that education generates greater awareness of inequality, and that this awareness leads citizens to favor measures to redress inequality. As for the political activism connection, previous research establishes employment as a significant determinant, especially among women. For women in particular, the experiences provided by daily institutional contacts may create greater confidence in their potential for achieving political efficacy.
