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Leaders but Not Authorities? Gender, Veterans, and Messages about National Security
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 April 2024
Abstract
Politicians’ ability to provide national security to the public is deeply enmeshed in conceptions of the state and of leadership. This article incorporates securitization, feminist, and political communication theories to consider whether gendered and militarized conceptions of national security have different effects for politicians who are women and those who are men. Although scholarship suggests that signaling military bona fides—such as invoking one’s veteran status—can help politicians claim that certain policies are a matter of national security, we consider whether this ability will be gendered. Relying on two national studies, we find results that are contrary to our original predictions. First, we find that military bona fides do help women be seen as leaders. However, we do not find evidence that bona fides increase the “authority” to identify and address national security threats for any politicians.
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- Research Article
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- Creative Commons
- This is a work of the US Government and is not subject to copyright protection within the United States. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of American Political Science Association.
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- © United States Navy, 2024
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Caverley and Krupnikov supplementary material
Caverley and Krupnikov supplementary material
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