Women's Gender Consciousness

Four dimensions of group consciousness that figure prominentlyin relative deprivation and resource mobilization/solidaritytheories of social movements were measured in three nationalcross-section sample surveys over the decade of the 1970s bythe Institute for Social Research. These dimensions—identification,discontent, withdrawal of legitimacy, and collective orientation—wereapplied to the gender consciousness of women. In all but oneof these dimensions, women's gender consciousness was comparativelyweak. It was not as pronounced as the group consciousness ofother subordinate categories, nor was it distinctly subordinatebecause men expressed similar views. A structural interpretationof this comparative weakness is offered. Women did become moregroup conscious between 1972 and 1983. The increase was particularlypronounced with regard to their discontent about the relativepolitical power of men and women and their views about the legitimacyof gender disparities.