Positive Portrayals of Feminist Men Increase Men’s Solidarity With Feminists and Collective Action Intentions

Abstract

The present study examined whether positive portrayals of feminist men could increase men’s sense of solidarity with feminists and, through it, their intentions to engage in collective action in support of women. A sample of 102 mostly White men between the ages of 18 and 63 was recruited from Mechanical Turk, an online crowdsourcing marketplace. They were exposed to a short article either portraying feminist men in a positive light, a negative light, or describing the history of feminism without mentioning men. Men who read the positive portrayal article expressed more solidarity with feminists and greater intentions to engage in collective action in support of women than men who read either the history of feminism article or the negative portrayal article. Feminist solidarity fully mediated the relationship between positive portrayals of feminist men and collective action intentions. Consistent with research among women, the findings demonstrate that feeling connected to feminists is an important antecedent of men’s collective action in support of women. They also suggest a novel approach for involving men in collective action in support of women: building a positive image of feminist men. The implications of the findings for the men’s role in the feminist movement are discussed.