Language politics often reflects gender inequalities, but this letter examines a surprising exception. Using city-level historical data from California's Proposition 11 in 1974—the first US state to consider such an amendment—researchers find that higher income parity between women and men correlates with stronger voter support for gender-neutral language initiatives.
📊 Data & Methods: Analysis of California's city-level administrative records regarding the ballot measure outcomes.
Key Finding: Income equality is associated with increased public appetite for constitutional language reform, despite such issues being traditionally linked to empowerment disparities.
📍 California, 🗳️ Proposition 11, 💰 income parity—these specific elements help ground the analysis.
| Female Empowerment and the Politics of Language: Evidence Using Gender-Neutral Amendments to Subnational Constitutions was authored by Benjamin J. Newman, Stephanie L. DeMora and Tyler T. Reny. It was published by Cambridge in BJPS in 2021. |
