Do Moms Demand Action on Guns? Parenthood and Gun Policy Attitudes

• In Event: Motherhood, Fatherhood and their Effects on Political Behavior

Abstract

From the Million Mom March in 2000 to the activism of "Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America" in the most recent election, the idea that motherhood primes women to support greater gun control policy permeates our contemporary politics. Motherhood has been shown to shape views on social welfare issues from education to helping the poor to healthcare, but the question remains whether mothers hold distinctive views on gun control policy relative to their non-parent peers. This study will draw on PEW Data from the April 2017 American Trends Panel, which includes a battery of questions relating to guns and gun control policy, to explore the impact of motherhood and fatherhood on gun policy attitudes as well as the extent to which motherhood contributes to the well-known gender gap on gun control issues. This study provides insights into the way that becoming a parent, one of the most crucial adult socialization experiences, shapes political attitudes and the extent to which parenthood remains a gendered experience in terms of its political impact.

Authors

• Laurel Elder, Hartwick College

• Steven Greene, North Carolina State University

• Mary Kate Lizotte, Augusta University

• Melissa Deckman, Washington College