Feminists in Politics. A Panel Analysis of the First National Women's Conference

420 Pages·1982·5.235 MB·English

by  Alice S. Rossi (Auth.)

Feminists in Politics
A Panel Analysis of
the First National Women's Conference
Alice S. Rossi
Social and Demographic Research Institute
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts
ACADEMIC PRESS
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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Rossi, Alice S., Date
Feminists in politics.
Bibliography: p.
1. National Women's Conference (1st : 1977 : Houston,
Tex.)—Evaluation. 2. Women in politics—United States
—Congresses—Evaluation. 3. Feminism—United States—
Congresses—Evaluation. I. Title.
HQ1391.U5R67 1982 320'.088'042 82-8807
ISBN 0-12-598280-1 AACR2
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
82 83 84 85 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In tribute to women in the past,
with pride in women of today,
and hope for women in the future
List of Figures
Figure 1.1 Peaks of Feminist Political Activity in American History 6
Figure 1.2 Timing of Formation and Duration of Organizational
Units Relevant to the National Conference 29
Figure 1.3 Process of Delegate Selection to the National Conference 30
Figure 3.1 Major Background, Predictor and Panel Variables in the
Research Design 79
Figure 3.2 Movement and Mainstream Political Activity Level: Mean
and Range of One Standard Deviation on Scores
Converted to 0-100 114
Figure 4.1 Membership Level in Selected Types of Organizatons by
Conference Status Position: Subsets and Mean
Membership 128
Figure 4.2 Mainstream and Movement Political Activity and Political
Competence by Conference Status Position: Subsets
and Means 131
Figure 4.3 Affect Response to Passage of Selected Resolutions:
Subsets and Means on Enthusiasm Scale by Status
Position 132
Figure 4.4 Commitment to Implementation of Resolutions by
Conference Status Position at Local versus National
Level: Subsets and Means 133
xiii
Xiv List of Figures
Figure 4.5 Role Differentiation by Status Position: Subsets and
Mean Scores on Houston Activity Measures 135
Figure 4.6 Expected and Actual Leadership Role at Conference by
Status Position: Subset and Mean Scores 138
Figure 4.7 Network Formation by Conference Status Position:
Subsets and Mean Number of New Contacts Made in
Houston by Contact Locale 141
Figure 6.1 Mean Scores on Affect Scales concerning
Selected Groups 196
Figure 6.2 Mean Scores on Affect Scales on Political and
Conference-Relevant Groups by Political Orientation 198
Figure 6.3 Mean Scores on Affect Scales on Ethnic and
Occupational Groups by Political Orientation 199
Figure 6.4 Pearson Correlation Coefficients on Affect Scales:
Anti-Abortion and Pro-Abortion Groups with All
Other Groups 200
Figure 6.5 Belief and Affect Consensus by Organizational
Membership Type: Subsets and Mean Scores 219
Figure 6.6 Feminist Beliefs and Political Characteristics of Pro-Plan
and Anti-Plan Activists at National Conference 227
Figure 6.7 Organizational Membership of Pro-Plan and Anti-Plan
Activists at National Conference 228
Figure 7.1 Major Dependent Variables in the Analytic Sequence 240
Figure 7.2 Ranking of Significant Predictors of Mainstream and
Movement Political Activity Level 263
Figure 7.3 Ranking of Significant Predictors of Membership Level
by Type of Organization 266
Figure 7.4 Political Activity of Mothers versus Fathers by Social
Class of Family of Origin 272
Figure 7.5 Paths to Mainstream Political Activity: Regression
Sequence from Politically Active Spouse through Political
Organization Membership to Mainstream Activity Level 279
Figure 7.6 Paths to Gender- and Sex-Linked Feminist Activity 282
Figure 7.7 Paths to Political Competence 285
Figure 8.1 Mainstream and Movement Political Aspirations by
Level, Pre-Conference versus Post-Conference 293
List of Tables
Table 1.1 Selected Highlights of the Federal Chronology of Actions
Affecting Women: 1961-1978 20
Table 1.2 Racial-Ethnic Distribution of Elected Delegates versus
Total U.S. Female Population, 1976 32
Table 1.3 Timing of Political Events and of Research Process 38
Table 2.1 Sample and Response Rate by Panel Wave and
Sample Category 50
Table 2.2 Panel Response Pattern by Sample Category 51
Table 2.3 Comparison of Panel Analysis Sample, Refusals, and
Total Population on Selected Characteristics of Elected
Delegates and Alternates 58
Table 2.4 Ranking of Demographic Categories by Refusal Rate 60
Table 2.5 Response Pattern by State and Region 62
Table 2.6 State Ratification of ERA and Survey Refusal Rate 64
Table 2.7 Regional Distribution of Elected Delegates and Alternates
for Total Population, Bioform Sample, and Survey
Response Pattern Types 64
Table 2.8 Type of Representation for Total Ford and Carter
Commission 66
Table 2.9 Response Pattern by Type of Representation for Ford
and Carter Commissioners 68
XV
xvi List of Tables
Table 2.10 Response Pattern of Carter Commissioners by
Decision-Making Role on the Commission 69
Table 2.11 Response Pattern by Selected Characteristics of
Secretariat Staff 71
Table 3.1 Social Demographic Profile of IWY Sample 81
Table 3.2 Organizational Membership Profile of IWY Sample 82
Table 3.3 Mean Membership Profile by Organizational Type 83
Table 3.4 Membership in Specified Organizations 84
Table 3.5 Support or Opposition to Selected Causes 85
Table 3.6 Office Holding and Political Activity of Self and Family
Members 86
Table 3.7 Recent Mainstream and Movement Political Activity Level 88
Table 3.8 Political Competence Self Rating 90
Table 3.9 Feminist Beliefs: Items and Indices 91
Table 3.10 Involvement with State Delegations 95
Table 3.11 Special Events Attended at National Conference 97
Table 3.12 Caucus Meetings Attended at National Conference 98
Table 3.13 Groups Worked with at National Conference 99
Table 3.14 Role in National Conference Plenary Sessions 101
Table 3.15 Control of the Conference 103
Table 3.16 Network Formation 105
Table 3.17 Mainstream and Movement Aspirations for Elective
Office: October versus February 107
Table 3.18 Change in Mainstream and Movement Aspirations for
Elective Office from October to February 108
Table 3.19 Political Commitment to Implementation of Resolutions in
Plan of Action 110
Table 3.20 Past and Future Feminist Political Activity 112
Table 3.21 Change and Stability of Political Action on Selected
Issues: Past Political Action versus Future Action on
Resolution Implementation 113
Table 4.1 Socioeconomic Characteristics by Conference Status
Position 124
Table 4.2 Political Characteristics by Conference Status Position 126
Table 4.3 Network Formation by Organizational Structure: Mean
Contacts by Location and Overall Means by
Organizational Position 142
Table 5.1 State Coordinating Committee Membership by
Conference Status 151
Table 5.2 Regression on State Coordinating Committee
Membership of Social Status, Organizational Membership,
and Political Experience 154
List of Tables xvii
Table 5.3 Regression on Elected Delegate Type of Social Status,
Organizational Membership, and Political Experience 158
Table 5.4 Groups Supporting Nomination of Elected Delegate
Types 159
Table 5.5 Expected Role in Houston of Insider and Newcomer
Delegates 161
Table 5.6 Motivation in Delegate Election, Groups Expected to
Work with in Houston, and Expected Role in Houston,
by Membership Level in Feminist and Traditional
Women's Organizations 163
Table 5.7 Expected and Actual Conference Role by Level of
Political Consensus in the State Delegation 165
Table 5.8 Expected Role by Size of State Delegation 168
Table 5.9 Size of City of Residence by Size of State Delegation 168
Table 5.10 Expected Role by City Size and State Delegation Size 169
Table 5.11 Regression on Actual Conference Role Type of Status,
Opportunity, and Contextual Variables 170
Table 5.12 Personal Familiarity with Delegation Members over Time 172
Table 5.13 Frequency of State Delegation Meetings before, during,
and after the National Conference 173
Table 5.14 Effects of State Committee Membership and Frequency
of Delegation Meetings on Personal Familiarity with
Home-State Delegates 174
Table 5.15 Regression on Proportion of Delegates Known Personally
before State Meeting 175
Table 5.16 Regression on Proportion of State Delegation Known
Personally after National Conference 176
Table 5.17 Regression on Network Formation of Contextual and
Activity Variables 181
Table 6.1 Pearson Correlation Coefficients between Belief Indices 190
Table 6.2 Regression on Feminist Belief Indices of Political and
Religious Orientation and Personal Attributes 192
Table 6.3 Regression on Belief Indices of Political and Religious
Orientation and Personal Attributes, Controlling for
Feminist Self-Concept 194
Table 6.4 Regression on Selected Affect Scales of Political and
Social-Demographic Characteristics 202
Table 6.5 R2 in Regressions on Selected Affect Scales with Same
Set of Political and Demographic Predictor Variables:
October versus February 205
Table 6.6 Regression on Affect toward IWY Commissioners of
Political and Demographic Variables: October versus
February 206
xviii
List of Tables
Table 6.7 Affect Scales: Change between October 1977 and
February 1978 208
Table 6.8 Impact of Conference on Affect toward Selected Groups:
Regression on February Affect Scales of Conference
Participation, Controlling for October Affect Score 211
Table 6.9 Membership Level and Overlap in Five Specified
Organizations 217
Table 6.10 Belief/Affect Consensus: Coefficients of Variation of
Feminism Measures by Organizational Membership Type 221
Table 6.11 Belief/Affect Constraint: Average within-Individual
Variability across Thirteen Feminism Measures, by
Organizational Membership Type 223
Table 6.12 Affect Constraint by Organizational Membership Types:
October versus February Surveys 223
Table 6.13 Social-Demographic Characteristics of Pro-Plan and
Anti-Plan Activists at National Conference 226
Table 6.14 Affect Consensus by Caucus Activity Types: Mean
Scores, October Survey 230
Table 6.15 Affect Constraint by Caucus Activity Types: October
versus February 231
Table 7.1 Variables in the Analysis Model 238
Table 7.2 Regression on Expected and Actual Conference
Leadership Role 243
Table 7.3 Regression on Actual Conference Leadership Role,
Controlling for Expected Leadership Role: Impact of
Activity in Houston 245
Table 7.4 Regression on Role in Houston 246
Table 7.5 Regression on Pre- and Post-Conference Political
Competence 250
Table 7.6 Regression on Post-Conference Political Competence
Rating, Controlling for Pre-Conference Rating 253
Table 7.7 Regressions on Office-Holding Experience: Elective and
Appointive Public Office and Political Party Office 257
Table 7.8 Regression on Mainstream and Movement Activity Level
of Ascribed and Status Characteristics, Personal
Attributes, and Political and Organizational Involvement 260
Table 7.9 Regressions of Organizational Membership on Early and
Adult Family and Socioeconomic Characteristics and
Value Orientations 265
Table 7.10 Regression of Husbands' Political Activity on Past and
Current Status Characteristics 269
Table 7.11 Husbands' Political Activity by Parental Political Activity 271
List of Tables xix
Table 7.12 Parental Political Activity by Social Class of Family of
Origin and Race/Ethnicity 273
Table 7.13 Cohort Differences in Parental Political Activity by Social
Class of Family of Origin 274
Table 7.14 Mainstream and Movement Political Activity Level by Age
and Parental Political Activity Profile 276
Table 8.1 Mainstream and Movement Political Aspirations:
Composite Score Distributions, Pre- and Post-Conference 294
Table 8.2 Mainstream and Movement Political Aspiration Change 295
Table 8.3 Stability and Change in Mainstream and Movement
Political Aspirations between Pre- and Post-Conference
Surveys 296
Table 8.4 Political Aspiration Typology by Selected Background
Characteristics, Post-Conference Survey 298
Table 8.5 Most Significant Political and Demographic Characteristics
of Four Aspiration Types 299
Table 8.6 Regressions on Political Aspirations: Mainstream versus
Movement, Pre- and Post-Conference 303
Table 8.7 Regressions on Mainstream and Movement Political
Aspirations by Age 308
Table 8.8 Regression on Post-Conference Mainstream and
Movement Political Aspirations, Controlling for
Pre-Conference Aspirations 311
Table 8.9 Regressions on Commitment to Implementation of
Conference Resolutions 316