Naming Biases: Gender and Race Biases in Reference to Politicians

Abstract

Implicit biases continue to promote gender and racial inequality in many professions. Our research investigated a particular variable, terms of reference, that may play a role in voter opinions of politicians and in particular influence perceptions of historically underrepresented groups (women and black politicians). We collected data from real Facebook posts and their responding comments for all 412 current members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives. We found that (1) first names are used more frequently when referring to female and white politicians and (2) last names and titles (both common and formal) are used more frequently when referring to male and black politicians. These results suggest that gendered and racial biases exist for terms of reference which may impact voter perceptions of women and black professionals in politics in different ways. Future directions for this research include investigations into how these naming biases impact voter perceptions of politicians as well as their voting decisions in an election cycle.