COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FEMINISM-RELATED IDEOLOGIES AMONG STUDENTS IN SINGLE-SEX AND COEDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

The aim of the study was to dichotomously study the differences in feminism perspectives, support for feminism, and feminist self-identification between students in single-sex and students in co-educational higher learning institutions, with special emphasis on students with chronic single-sex/coed schooling and students with discontinuous single-sex/coed schooling. For this, a web-based survey questionnaire was administered on a sample of 100 undergraduates and graduates (age group 18-23) studying in higher learning institutions all over India. The survey questionnaire included three feminism scales: the liberal, radical, socialist and women of color/womanist subscales of Feminist Perspectives Scale (Henley, et. al., 1998) to study perspectives on feminism, the 11-item short form of the Liberal Feminist Attitude and Ideology Scale (LFAIS) by Morgan (1996) to study support for feminism, and a closed-ended question “To what extent do you consider yourself a feminist?” from Morgan (1996) to measure feminist self-identification. The findings revealed that: 1)Female students in single-sex higher learning institutions show stronger support for feminism, stronger positions on radical perspective of feminism, and higher feminist self-identification than students in coed higher learning institutions, 2)Students in chronic and discontinuous single-sex schooling show stronger support for feminism than students with chronic coed schooling, 3)Students in chronic single-sex schooling have higher feminist self-identification than students in discontinuous co-ed. The study has implications for future research on correlates of feminist ideologies in college students as well as in framing public policies on education with respect to single-sex and co-ed institutions.