Gender and Bill Changes in Congress: An Analysis of Women-Sponsored and Women's Issue Bills

Author

• Kipling B. Corry, Utah State UniversityFollow

Date of Award:

8-2026

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Political Science

Committee Chair(s)

Lauren Van De Hey

Committee

Lauren Van De Hey

Committee

Josh Ryan

Committee

Anna Pechenkina

Abstract

Women have faced historical disadvantages in American politics, generally, and in their positions as lawmakers. Bills in Congress, proposed by men and women alike, often undergo various textual changes before becoming law. This thesis explores how the gender of lawmakers and the gendered issues found within bills affect these changes. Are bills that are proposed by women disproportionately altered more than bills proposed by men? And are bills that concern women’s policy issues disproportionately altered more than bills that do not? This thesis investigates these questions by first presenting two original datasets and a full bill text file that introduce previously non-existent data on the word counts of bills passed by Congress from 1993-2024. I then analyze the extent that the word counts of these bills changed before becoming law, as well as the role gender plays in these changes. Countering expectations that bills sponsored by women should undergo greater changes throughout the legislative process, I find that bills proposed by women change at similar rates to bills proposed by men. Additionally, I find that bills concerning women’s policy issues endure more textual changes than bills that do not focus on women’s issues. This research shows that bills are altered at a higher rate when they advocate for issues that women care about.

Checksum

4b3ef1b12381a34660c325a474ba721d

Recommended Citation

Corry, Kipling B., "Gender and Bill Changes in Congress: An Analysis of Women-Sponsored and Women's Issue Bills" (2026). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present. 922.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd2023/922