The women's liberation movement: Attitudes and action' Jean Goldschmldt,^ University of Pennsylvania, Mary M. Gergen, Swarfhmore College, Karen Quigley, Unfversify of Pennsylvania, Kenneth J. Gergen, Swarthmore College The women's liberation movement codd well become one of the most powerful social, political and economic forces in the United States. While much has been written about the ideology and rationale for the movement, we know very little about the participants themselves Little systematic knowledge exists on their family backgrounds, their personal and sociai characteristics, and their motives for mvolvement. Knowledge concerning these matters is important for both theoretical and practical reasons. Attempts to buUd general theories of socio-political activism (cf. Toch, 1965, Eisenstadt, 1956) have suffered from a lack of em- pirical underpinnings Knowledge of a predominantly female movement should add an important new dimension to general theories of activism. There have also been a number of attempts (cf. Kenniston, 1967; Flacks, 1967) to clarify the meaning and underlying motiva- tion behind recent radical and antiwar activities. Historically, one might view the women's liberation movement as a spin-off from such activity. The question thus arises as to whether par- ticipants in the women's rights cause are similar in profile to these earlier groups. Finally, knowledge of the participants in the liberation movement should enable us to place the movement in accurate historical perspective Is the movement elitist in nature, does it cut across political and religious divisions, does it primarily draw from the ranks of the most intelligent, is it only supported by career-oriented women? All are important questions for those attempting to take accurate account of the era Knowledge concerning participants in the hberation move- 1 This research was made possible by a grant from Swarthmore Ctollege Requ^ts for reprints should be srait to Ms. Mary Gergen, Department of Psy- didogy, Swarthmore College, Swarthinore, Pa 19081, 8. Now deceased.