A generational analysis of women's rights activists

This article addresses the important issue of intergenerational similaritie s and differences among women's lights activists. We examined the attitudes , emotions, and experiences of three generations of reproductive rights act ivists, born between 1925 and 1975. Across generations, the participants we re strongly pro-choice and identified as feminists. Despite these similarit ies, there were several differences that could be explained by considering the sociohistorical circumstances faced by each cohort. For example, the Ci vil Rights generation activists came of age during the boycotts and marches of the 1950s and showed the highest level of civil rights activism. Reflec ting the coincidence of their young adulthood with the 1970s women's moveme nt, the Protest generation activists identified the most with the label "fe minist." Finally, the Postwomen's movement activists, raised in the 1970s a nd 1980s, were the most likely to have taken college-level women's studies classes.