An application of the theory of planned behavior to women’s feminist and protective action in Türkiye

Despite progress, gender-based inequalities persist worldwide. Collective action is essential in challenging these inequalities, yet not all women engage. This study applies the theory of planned behavior to examine factors predicting women’s intention and actual engagement in two forms of collective action: feminist action, which seeks to change the unequal gender hierarchy (e.g., participating in protests), and protective action, which shields women from its consequences (e.g., assisting women in attending self-defense classes). A total of 669 women from Türkiye (M = 22.94, SD = 5.70), completed an online survey. Participants were randomly assigned to either the feminist or protective action condition and reported their positive attitude, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms (family, friends, society, government), intention, and actual engagement regarding their assigned action. Results showed that intention positively predicted actual engagement in both forms of action. For feminist action, positive attitude, perceived behavioral control, and the subjective norm of friends positively predicted intention, whereas the subjective norm of society negatively predicted it. Additionally, positive attitude and perceived behavioral control indirectly and positively predicted actual engagement via intention. For protective action, positive attitude positively, the subjective norms of society and government negatively predicted intention. Through intention, positive attitude positively predicted actual engagement, whereas the subjective norms of society and government negatively predicted it. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for women's collective actions.