Meet the Press: Gendered Conversational Norms in Televised Political Discussion

• In Event: Poster Session: Political Networks & Political Communication
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Political Communication

Abstract

Political television shows are among the most highly visible forms of informal political discussion in the United States. Given their potential to shape the political perceptions and discussions of ordinary citizens, it is important that women can equally participate in such settings. We extend prior work connecting gender composition, decision rules, and gender inequality in formal settings by examining the structural features of gender inequality in over 6,000 panel discussions that aired on political shows in the U.S. between 2000 and 2017. We find that on “debate-style” panels that encourage majoritarian conversational norms, gender composition is significantly associated with female panelists’ relative speaking time and interruption rates. These relationships are weakened in panels with more consensus-oriented norms. Our findings highlight how the structural features of televised political discussions may contribute to gender inequalities in the broader system, setting problematic behavioral norms for the public to emulate.

Authors

• Daniel Naftel, Ohio State University

• Jon Green, Northeastern University

• Kelsey Shoub, University of Massachusetts Amherst

• Jared Falkenberg Edgerton, Ohio State University

• Mallory Layne Treece Wagner, The Ohio State University

• Skyler J. Cranmer, The Ohio State University