Feminist Self-Identification Among Social Work Students

Abstract

The literature points to a concerning relationship that social work students have with feminism, including a hesitance to identify as feminist despite endorsing feminist principles. The present study sought to gain a better understanding of how current social work students perceive feminism and whether they self-identify as feminist. In this study of 116 master’s of social work students, conducted at a public northeastern university, less than half of the students self-identified as feminist. Multiple regression indicated that students’ knowledge of feminism, which included self-reported knowledge and educational exposure, was not predictive of feminist self-identification. However, when provided a simple definition of a feminist, students’ self-identification as feminist significantly increased. Implications of these findings for social work education are discussed.

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Notes on contributors

Mollie Lazar Charter

Mollie Lazar Charter is a doctoral candidate at the University of Connecticut.