Detecting Diverse Perspectives: Using Text Analytics to Reveal Sex Differences in Congressional Debate About Defense

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/10659129211045048
• Published date: 01 March 2023
• Date: 01 March 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Political Research Quarterly

2023, Vol. 76(1) 75–89

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/10659129211045048

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Detecting Diverse Perspectives: Using

Text Analytics to Reveal Sex Differences in

Congressional Debate About Defense

Mary Layton Atkinson

1

, Reza Mousavi

2

, and Jason H. Windett

1

Abstract

Scholars interested in substantive representation for women have primarily focused on whether wom en vote for and

prioritize “women’s issue”legislation. It is now well established that female lawmakers do vote for and introduce bills on

issues like reproductive rights, childcare, and women’s health at rates higher than men. With this f‌inding widely accepted,

scholars have more recently investigated levels of female involvement on a wider range of topics and f‌ind that wom en are

just as active as men—sometimes even more active—on an array of policy topics other than “women’s issues.”Several

studies show women are more active sponsors of defense-related bills than are their male colleagues. We provide a case

study that investigates whether female lawmakers offer distinct perspectives on these topics. We use structural topic

modeling to explore sex and party differences in f‌loor speeches delivered in the House of Representatives. Our analysis

of these f‌loor speeches given in the 109th Congress reveals that women and men do focus their attention on distinct

facets of defense issues—focusing on the implications of war for women, civilians, and communities—and that these

differences are conditioned by party.

Keywords

substantive representation, women in Congress, text as data, defense policy

“When men talk about defense, they always claim to be

protecting women and children, but they never ask the

women and children what they think (Rep. Pat Schroeder

(DCO), 1978).”

Defense is among the most salient issues with

American voters, particularly during times of war. Over

the course of the entire post-war period, only the economy

has been more consistently cited by the public as the

country’s most pressing problem. From the 1950s through

the 2000s, defense topped the nation’s most important

problem list for at least 1 year in each decade (and often

for several years), except for the 1980s. The issue’s sa-

lience with the public makes defense perennially im-

portant for national electoral politics in a way that few

other issues are.

The issue is also one on which female politicians are

disadvantaged. Women are stereotyped as being more

liberal, more compassionate and caring, and less likely to

use force than are their male colleagues (e.g., Hernson,

Lay and Stokes, 2003;Koch, 2000,2002;McDermott,

1997,1998). Male politicians are stereotyped as being

tougher, more assertive, stronger leaders, and as more

willing to use force than female off‌icials. These sex-based

stereotypes advantage women on issues related to care and

compassion like health care, education, and social wel-

fare, which are sometimes referred to as traditional

“women’s issues.”Voters believe female politicians are

better able to handle these policy domains than are men.

But on the issues voters typically care most about, defense

and the economy, the opposite is true. Voters believe male

leaders are better suited to policymaking in these areas.

These sex-based stereotypes are also evident in the

institutional positions held by women in Congress and in

the media coverage female politicians receive. The ap-

pointment of women to leadership positions on defense-

related committees and subcommittees was rare until the

1

Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Public Policy

Ph.D. Program, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

2

McIntire School of Commerce, University of Virginia, USA

Corresponding Author:

Mary Layton Atkinson, Political Science and Public Administration,

UNC Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC, USA.

Email: matkinson@uncc.edu