Religion and Feminist Attitudes Among African-American Women:

Abstract

Using data from a 1988 telephone survey of randomly selected African-American residents of Washington, D.C., we test the association between religious attitudes and practices of African-American women and support for gender equality and abortion. We find that religious involvement and orthodoxy are strong predictors of opposition to legal abortion among African-American women, but are not associated with opposition to gender equality. Indeed, some religious variables strongly associated with anti-feminism among whites are associated with increased support for organized feminism among African-American women. Additional analysis of the data suggests that messages of racial equality and collective action heard in African-American churches spill over to the realm of gender politics and explain support among religious African-American women for organizations that promote gender equity.