Sexual Preference, Feminism, and Women's Perceptions of Their Parents

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Date

1981

Authors

Johnson, Miriam M.
Stockard, Jean
Rothbart, Mary K.
Friedman, Lisa

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Abstract

In an attempt to clarify the relation between parental variables, sexual preference, and sex-role attitudes, three groups of women were studied: lesbian feminists, heterosexual feminists, and heterosexual traditional women. The women were asked about their perceptions of their parents when they were in high school. The groups differed more from each other with respect to their perceptions of their fathers than their mothers. The perceived attitudes.of the father were much more important in differentiating lesbian feminists from heterosexuals than in differentiating heterosexual feminists from heterosexual traditionals. Both the heterosexual groups (feminist and traditionals) reported having a more affectionate and involved father who also encouraged them more in the expression of anger than the lesbian feminists reported. The results suggest women's father relationships must not be obscured in research and support Johnson's hypothesis that the father relationship is more central than the mother relationship in sex typing and especially in the specifically sexual aspects of sex typing.

Description

12 pages

Keywords

sex-role attitudes, lesbian, heterosexual, traditional women

Citation

Johnson, M. M., Stockard, J., Rothbart, M. K., & Friedman, L. (1981). Sexual Preference, Feminism, and Women's Perceptions of Their Parents. Sex Roles, 7(1), 1—18. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290893

Collections