Governing Codes: Gender, Metaphor, and Political Identity

by Karrin Vasby Anderson, Kristina Horn Sheeler

Familiar narratives and simplistic stereotypes frame the representation of women in U.S. politics. Pervasive containment rhetorics, such as the distinction between women as mothers and caregivers and men as rational thinkers, create unique hurdles for any woman seeking public office. While these 'governing codes' generally act to constrain female political power, they can also be harnessed as a resource depending on the particular circumstances (e.g., party affiliation, geographic location and personal style). One of these governing codes, the metaphor, is an especially powerful tool in politics today, particularly for women. By examining the political careers of four of the most prominent and influential women in contemporary U.S. politics_Democrats Ann Richards and Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republicans Christine Todd Whitman and Elizabeth Dole_Karrin Vasby Anderson and Kristina Horn Sheeler illustrate how metaphors in public discourse may be both familiar narratives to embrace and boundaries to overturn.

255 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Karrin Vasby Anderson, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Colorado State University http://communicationstudies.colostate..., where she serves as a Women’s Studies affiliate faculty member http://www.wps.colostate.edu/, and a board member for the CSU Center for Public Deliberation http://www.cpd.colostate.edu/. She is a recipient of the Feminist Scholarship Award from the Organization for Research on Women and Communication http://www.orwac.org/Home.html and a co-recipient of the Carrie Chapman Catt Prize for Research on Women in Politics http://www.las.iastate.edu/CattCenter....