What feminists really think about parenting

The answers turned up a disconnect between how feminists are viewed and what they believe. Non-feminist mothers saw themselves as more interested in breast-feeding and child-carrying and less interested in strict schedules than feminist moms, when in fact the opposite was true for each. Non-feminist non-mothers also saw themselves as more interested in breast-feeding than feminists, another misconception.

In fact, feminists supported breast-feeding, child-carrying and co-sleeping more than non-feminists, regardless of whether they had kids; and feminists were less supportive of strict schedules for infants compared with non-feminists. The results held when researchers controlled for age, education and socioeconomic status.