Double Relative Deprivation: Combining the Personal and Political

Abstract

Double relative deprivation, which has been virtually ignored in research on relative deprivation, was expected to predict women s collective action over and above egoistic and collective deprivation. The role of sociopolitical resources in perceiving deprivation and participation in action was also investigated. Female students (N = 164) completed a questionnaire designed to assess their perceptions of egoistic, collective, and double relative deprivation (defined as the interaction between egoistic and collective deprivation), and resource availability and participation in collective action. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that double relative deprivation predicted collective action over and above egoistic and collective relative deprivation, and that resource availability also uniquely predicted action. Implications for expanding conceptual and operational definitions of these constructs are discussed.