Between Adherence and Ambivalence: Feminist Identification among Non-Activist Women in Post-2018 Chile

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.12804/revistas.urosario.edu.co/apl/a.14908

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Published: May 15, 2026
Issue: Vol. 43 No. 3 (2025)
Section Artículos


Keywords: women feminist identification feminist identity feminism Chile

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Authors

  Patricia Obreque-Oviedo
Universidad de Talca, Chile
  Manuel Cárdenas Castro
Universidad de Talca, Chile

Abstract

Beginning at the emergence of the feminist student movement (2018), from a regional (the struggle for the legalization of abortion and the hashtag, #NiUnaMenos) and global context (#MeToo), women’s identification with feminism has become increasingly visible in Chile. The objective of this article is to analyze the different forms of identifying with feminism, and reasons for identifying with or not identifying with feminism. A total of 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted with non-activist women, aged 18-66 years, in Chile. Reflexive thematic analysis enabled the construction of four configurations along a continuum of identification: non-identifying (with partial agreement with feminist goals), ambivalent identification (“I’m a feminist, but”), identification with feminism and the undecideds. The main reason for non-identifying individuals was negative stereotypes toward feminists; while a desire for equality was the main reason to self-identify as a feminist. The representation of an individual, theoretical, dissociated from practices, and depoliticized feminism constitutes a barrier to an understanding of the social movement. This represents, for feminist collectives, the challenge of generating new dissemination strategies in the struggle for the social transformations they promote.

How to Cite
Obreque-Oviedo, P., & Cárdenas Castro, M. (2026). Between Adherence and Ambivalence: Feminist Identification among Non-Activist Women in Post-2018 Chile. Avances En Psicología Latinoamericana, 43(3). https://doi.org/10.12804/revistas.urosario.edu.co/apl/a.14908
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