Reliability and validity of three current instruments (Feminist Identity Scale [FIS], Feminist Identity Development Scale [FIDS]J Feminist Identity Composite [FIC]) used to operationalize Downing and Roush's model of feminist identity development were compared. A sample of 245 women completed all three instruments, and a separate sample of 35 women repeated them over a 2-week interval. Only the FIC had acceptable internal consistency reliability for all subscales. Subscale stability for all instruments generally was moderate, except for Active Commitment. Subscale relations with perceived sexist events, self-esteem, social desirability, and preference for a male or female therapist generally were supportive of discriminant and convergent validity for all instruments. Content validity based on three judges' item evaluations suggested the FIDS fared best overall Finally, confirmatory factor analysis procedures did not support definitively the structural validity of any of the instruments, but trends suggested the FIC, and perhaps the FIDS, were superior to the FIS.
feminist identity development and activism in revolutionary movements
