Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Social Work (MSW)

Department

Social Work

First Advisor

Kimberly Giamportone

Second Advisor

Rachel Casey

Third Advisor

Julianne Siegfried

Keywords

Social Work, MSW

Abstract

The current study gathered information on how women across five generations interpret feminism. Nine women were interviewed: (2 per generation, except the silent generation was 1). Understanding how women across five generations interpret feminism helps determine whether perspectives of feminism are due to a difference in time period or other variables. Based on research that has been conducted, we know that there are different views and interpretations of feminism on a broad scale; this study dove into participants’ perspectives and generational influence.

The preliminary findings of this study suggest there are some areas of the Feminist Movement that exhibit generational similarities. Other themes that were identified did not suggest generational differences in perspectives; instead, they were grouped by other factors. An example of generational differences in perspective fell into the theme Perceived Influence and Lived Experience of Feminist Movement. The Silent Generation and the Baby Boomers mentioned their lived experiences of gender injustices. Generation X and one Millennial credited Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation with having done “harder work.” An example of how

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relationships with feminist role models in perspectives fell into the theme Personal Idea of the Feminist Identity. Several women from different generations mentioned a feminist role model as a representation of the feminist identity, while some did not. This is an example of a theme that did not align directly with generation, but rather with the environment in which women grew up. These two findings alone suggest that parts of feminism are influenced by generation and other factors that may be deemed more environmental.

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