Male oriented vocabulary as a form of political dominance and a cause of female alienation from politics : A content analysis of newspaper terminology

Abstract

This thesis explores some aspects of political socialization. It specifically will look at language patterns in political literature. The study of the language patterns in political literature leads to the formulation of the hypothesis that the symbols and words used in political literature are a factor which influences political behavior. In addition to influencing political behavior, language symbols and their connotations are an indirect and subtle lever which alienates the female reader and represents a continuance of male domination in the political arena. The editorial and women's pages are used as grounds for study. The technique used to measure the differences is a quantitative content analysis of words, subject matter and readability. This study concludes that there is a correlation between the use of male oriented terminology in political literature and the alienation of the female reader by virtue of her socialization. It shows that the subject matter presented for women is intended to keep her in the traditional role of the home - maker and that there is a tendency to present simpler reading material to women.