Generations differ in defining feminism, tradition.

How a woman defines tradition, feminism and family is based mostly on her generation, discovered a researcher studying patriarchy.

Dr. Elizabeth Suter, a visiting assistant professor in the communications studies department at the University of Nebraska, reported part of her dissertation research data at the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language and Gender (OSCLG) conference in October 2002 in Minneapolis.

Examining the intersection between tradition and feminism, she interviewed 35 married Catholic females in the Midwest, ranging in age from 27 to 89. Although she asked them about taking their husbands' names, Suter's paper framed the act of naming within a larger socio-cultural context.

How to define 'feminism'

"Within name change research, the topic of feminism kept coming up," Suter told WIHE. "They're trying to tell you something." Her research showed each person and each generation held a different definition of feminism. "Struggles are bit different across the generations in many ways," exclaimed Suter. But older generations were sympathetic to the struggles of younger ones.

Most of the Catholic participants saw feminism as anti-traditional and a "new narcissism," which threatens women's role as homemaker.

While most of the women could define what a feminist is, when each was asked if she was a feminist, many shades of gray surfaced. "Comfort with the label of feminist is more the focus," explained Suter. Their views of how tradition, family and feminism co-exist ran the gauntlet; some viewed feminism as anti-traditional, a strain on families.