"I'm not a feminist, but...". Psychosocial factors underlying support for feminism in Argentina

<p><span lang="EN-US">Previous research suggests that there would be a discrepancy between support for feminism and self-identification with feminist movements, with support being stronger than identification. To understand the reasons behind such inconsistency, scholars have tried different explanations, ranging from a lack of exposure to feminist movements, to personal experiences of gender discrimination, to a simple rejection of the connotation of the word «feminist». However, there are no studies in Argentina that propose a psychosocial-based theoretical model for a more comprehensive understanding of feminism support. The main objective of this study was to test a theoretical model in which conservation values predict right-wing authoritarianism levels, which then influence gender role ideology and gender system justification, and all together predict support for feminism. A total of 1,570 Argentinian adults (female = 55.1%; Mage = 38.3 years, SD = 15.6) anonymously participated in the study by completing an online questionnaire. Path analysis revealed that conservative values have a direct effect on the variance of right-wing authoritarianism, which then explains the variance of gender system justification and gender role ideology. Finally, both gender system justification and gender role ideology have a direct effect on the support for feminism. These results show that low support for feminism in Argentina may be motivated by a broad combination of psychosocial variables.</span></p>