According to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey about gender equality, many of the values of the feminist movement have been accepted across the political spectrum in the United States, even among Americans who don't personally identify as feminists.
For instance, a majority of Democrats and Republicans say it is very important for women to have equal rights with men. Similarly, majorities in both partisan coalitions support adding the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
But feminists are much more likely than non-feminists to say the country has not gone far enough when it comes to giving women equal rights with men (74% vs. 39%). Feminists are also more likely to say the bigger problem is people not seeing discrimination against women where it really does exist, rather than people seeing discrimination against women where it really does not exist (81% of adults who identify as feminists say not seeing discrimination is the bigger problem, compared with 53% of non-feminists).
The researchers think these differences can be somewhat explained by partisanship: feminists are far more likely than non-feminists to identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party.
Overall, Democrats and those who lean Democratic are more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to say gender equality is very important, and they are more than twice as likely to say the country has not gone far enough in giving women equal rights (76% vs. 33%). And while most Democrats (85%) say the bigger problem is people not seeing discrimination against women where it really does exist, a much smaller share of Republicans (46%) say the same.
As all movements do, feminism has evolved greatly since its beginning in the 19th century. Another 2020 Pew Research Center survey found that overall, the public feels the feminist movement has contributed to the advancement of women's rights in the U.S.: 22% say it's done a great deal and 48% say it’s done a fair amount.
But 43% of adults who say feminism describes them very or somewhat well also say the movement is polarizing, and 45% would not describe it as inclusive.
However, Cynthia de las Fuentes, Ph.D., past-president of American Psychological Association's Div. 35 (Society for the Psychology of Women), thinks such negative perceptions derive from media distortion-not the movement's mission of equality for the sexes at work and at home.
She also believes that many simply don't realize that equality has yet to be achieved.
"A lot of young people think that women's rights have already been accomplished," said de las Fuentes, an associate professor at San Antonio-based Our Lady of the Lake University. "We've got Title IX; we've got laws against gender discrimination. But they don't realize there are still so many forces against women's rights, like reproductive rights and pay equity. We still have 73 cents on the dollar a man earns."
Luckily, as the popularity of this Instagram shows, people appreciate the reminders.
