FEMINIST IDENTITIES AND PREFERRED STRATEGIES FOR ADVANCING WOMENS POSITIVE SELF-CONCEPT

This study was an attempt to (a) determine the generalizability of the American-based Feminist Identity Development Scale (FIDS; Bargad & Hy de, 1991) to female students in a New Zealand university and (b) exami ne the relationship between feminist identities (as measured by the FI DS) and preferred strategies for advancing women's self-concept. Femal e undergraduate university students (N = 145) were given the FIDS and a self-concept strategy questionnaire. The factor structure of the FID S was replicated for four of the five stages reported by Bargad and Hy de. Failure to replicate the remaining stage (revelation) was attribut ed to differences in the sample populations and the wording of the sub scale. Positive correlations were found between the early stage of fem inist identity development and individual-oriented self-concept strate gies and also between the late stage of feminist identity development and group-oriented self-concept strategies. These results suggest that as a woman's feminist identity develops, the strategies for advancing that self-concept change from individual- to group-oriented ones.