TRENDS IN AND INFLUENCES ON FEMINIST ATTITUDES IN WOMEN AND MEN IN THE U.S., 1974-1998 Catherine I. Bolzendahl Daniel J. Myers TRENDS IN AND INFLUENCES ON FEMINIST ATTITUDES IN WOMEN AND MEN IN THE U.S., 1974-1998

* We thank Eric Plutzer for supplying information about variable construction and SAS Code. ABSTRACT This paper examines attitudes related to feminism since 1974 by evaluating the trends in and determinants of women and men's feminist attitudes. The analysis focuses on trends in four domains (abortion opinion, sexual behavior, gender roles in the public sphere, and family responsibilities) and examines the determinants of opinion in these domains in two periods, 1974-1986 and 1978-1998. For women and men, there is relative stability in the work and family life predictors with the main exception that the effect of having a spouse in the labor force has become a stronger predictor over time for men. Socialization factors are strong for both women and men, although more dominant as a predictor for men. Increasing polarization is evident with respect to sexual behavior and, in particular, abortion attitudes and abortion attitudes do not seem to be determined by the same factors as the other feminist domains.