Using data from the 1983 Euro-Barometer survey, this article examines the extent, determinants, and consequences of feminist consciousness among Western European women. The results indicate a surprising degree of feminist consciousness in Western Europe, with more than a third of women classified as feminists. The extent of feminism varies across countries, with nearly half of women in France and Italy but only a quarter of women in Britain classified as feminists. Age, education, religiosity, and ideology are the strongest predictors of feminism, although there is meaningful cross-national variation in the determinants of feminism. Finally, feminist consciousness is associated with more liberal positions on most political issues, particularly those that involve sympathy for the disadvantaged, and with the willingness to consider supporting a leftist party.
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