The Political Development of Sixties'Activists: Identifying the Influence of Class, Gender, and Socialization on Protest Participation

This article traces the development of student activists among members of the high school class of 1965. We explore how political and religious socialization, social psychological orientations, and class origins affect the likelihood that an individual will become involved in the antiwar, student, and civil rights protests of the 1960s. We also systematically examine the interrelationships between social class, gender, social psychological orientations, and political and religious socialization to discern their effects on social movement participation. Using data from the Youth-Parent Socialization Panel Study, 1965–73, we find that socialization processes and social psychological dispositions are strongly linked to participation in the protests and that social class spurs protest both directly and through its effects on these factors. We also find that gender differences in social movement participation are largely a function of socialization, social psychological differences, and women's lower rates of college attendance.