Linked Fate and Social Identity: Black and White Women’s Attitudes About Abortion and MeToo

Abstract

The recent social and political inequalities women face in the United States have raised new questions about how distinct groups of women respond to a changing landscape. Here, we assess how racial and political differences shape women’s social identity as women and its association with support for abortion and the MeToo movement. Using original survey data, we find that for both Black and white women, gender-linked fate—the belief that one’s fate is tied to the well-being of the gender group—is predicted by political ideology and associated with attitudes about abortion and the MeToo movement. In contrast, social identity as a woman—when one feels deeply tied to and represented in a particular gender group—was common across the political spectrum and insignificant in predicting attitudes about these gendered political issues.