The Influence of Critical Consciousness-Based Education on Identity Content and Perceptions of Sexism

Abstract

The current study investigates the impact of critical consciousness education on gender identity and perceptions of sexism. Students in women’s studies and personality psychology courses completed measures of gender identification, gender identity content, and perceptions of sexism at the beginning and end of the semester. Results indicate that women’s studies education changes how participants define what it means to be a woman while also leading to broader recognition of sexism. Further, mediation analyses indicate that changes in identity content mediates the relationship between course and perceptions of sexism. These results indicate the impact of critical consciousness-based education on perceptions of the self and society, in conjunction with a need for research that includes content-based analyses of identity as well as varied and diverse conceptions of gender oppression.