One in five people in Quebec aged 18 to 34 believe that “feminism is a strategy that allows women to control society,” according to a recent survey by Léger, the Center québécois d’enseignement for media and information was commissioned.
12% of all respondents of all ages said this statement was true, or 16% of men surveyed and 8% of women surveyed. The survey, conducted online among 1,009 Quebecers, aimed, among other things, to measure “the extent to which individuals, particularly through social networks, are more or less permeable to all kinds of unconfirmed theories than what others would call conspiracy theories,” explains executive director Christian Bourque vice-president by Leger.
The statements in the survey conducted in September covered various topics such as trust in the media, feminism, climate change and aliens. Several of these theories have already been presented to Canadians as part of a 2021 Léger survey conducted in collaboration with nine researchers, including David Morin, a professor at the University of Sherbrooke’s School of Applied Politics.
As for this year’s results, only 6% of Quebecers of all genders aged 55 and over believe that “feminism is a strategy that allows women to control society”, while the share among those aged 35 to 54 rises to 14% among old people and 20% among 18 to 34 year olds.
“It is perhaps worrying to see that feminism has a less positive response among the youngest than elsewhere,” says Francine Descarries, professor emeritus at the Department of Sociology at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM). ). “We are counting on them to complete the changes towards equality, and that is where we find that there is a reluctance. »
I think that a culture, especially a culture as strong as ours, shakes up or changes not over a decade or two, but rather over several decades
However, it is common for people who embrace feminism to do so a little later in life, for example when they face discrimination in the workplace, says Mélissa Blais, professor of sociology at the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Quebec in Outaouais (UQO). “When we are young, we have a sense of equality […] This becomes even more important when it comes time to confront sexism. »
However, Ms. Blais has a reservation about the statement’s framing of feminism as a “strategy that allows women to control society.” It could be understood by the respondents as an anti-feminist idea, but also as the opposite. “For example, if we say to ourselves, ‘Okay, women are not in control because gender inequalities persist and feminism allows them to be in control.’ »
Conservative wave
If we analyze the statement as anti-feminist, according to Mélissa Blais, one of the hypotheses that explains the support of 20% of 18-34 year olds for it is the conservative wave that is currently sweeping society.
“There are these diverse voices that are multiplying at the level of, let’s say, journalistic chronicles, be it here but also elsewhere, such as in the United States. In France you always hear that feminists exaggerate,” says the sociology professor. She adds that some young people may not have thought deeply about these speeches.
However, both Mélissa Blais and Francine Descarries emphasize that there is now more openness to feminism in Quebec than before. Ms. Descarries also sees the “glass half full” in terms of the survey results for all respondents of all ages. “If you had presented me with this survey around twenty years ago, we would be talking about completely different numbers. »
“I think that a culture, especially a culture as strongly patriarchal as ours, shakes up or changes not over a decade or two, but rather over several decades,” she continues.
Regarding the 8% of women who affirm that “feminism is a strategy that allows women to control society,” Francine Descarries considers this proportion to be normal. “What is surprising is that so many women now see feminism as a movement towards equality […] [alors que] “Everything in society has been set in motion to ensure that women follow the patriarchal message,” she states.