Feminist measures in four international surveys: an analysis

Questions based on feminist theories have been asked in international surveys since the 1980s. As part of the Push*Back*Lash project, we pooled feminist theory questions and data since 1981 for four international surveys: the Eurobarometer, the European Values Survey, the European Social Surveys and the International Social Survey Programme. This paper documents the theoretical coverage both in terms of conceptual coverage and temporal coverage. We find that metrics designed to measure women's paid and unpaid labor are the most consistently asked questions included in these surveys. While this activity has theoretical relevance for economists, sociologists, Marxist critique and feminist analysis, a wide range of feminist theories cannot be meaningfully compared over time and space.