Fight Climate Change with my Big Muscles: Gendered Policy Framing and Attitudes

• In Event: Poster Session: Women and Politics Research I

Abstract

The strategic process of “framing” a public policy proposal can determine policy success or failure because emotional triggers and targeted rhetoric enable interest groups to spin these proposals in ways that influence public opinion. Often this framing is implicit, relying on language that cues citizens to associate a given policy with desirable emotions, ideas, or individuals. A growing area of research engages the implicit gendering of policy – its characterization as masculine or feminine – but this research has yet to analyze the strategic gendering of climate change policy. In this paper, we offer evidence of the frequent use and success of gendered framing techniques of climate change policy by US environmental interest groups and their opponents. We argue that these actions reflect a conscious aim to masculinize or feminize climate change policy proposals to increase or decrease, respectively, citizen support for the issue. We employ a multi-method empirical approach, an MTurk survey with over 2000 respondents and data drawn from interviews with environmental interest group leaders in Oregon, to evaluate our arguments. This research offers both a new perspective in the growing literature on public opinion on climate change policy, as well as a stark reminder of the continuing value individuals place on masculinity in American political and policy arenas.

Authors

• Melody Ellis Valdini, Portland State University

• Joshua Eastin, Portland State University