Cover not available
Article published In:
Democracy and Discriminatory Strategies in Parliamentary Discourse
Edited by Karin Bischof and Cornelia Ilie
[Journal of Language and Politics 17:5] 2018
► pp. 617–635

Put your “big girl” voice on

Parliamentary heckling against female MPs

| Institute of Applied Linguistics, European Academy Bolzano

Heckles are an illegitimate, yet common way of commenting directly and immediately on what is being said at the lectern. However, (non-)verbal interjections can also be used to disconcert the speaker, thus scoring points within the parliamentary arena. In these cases, female delegates are often confronted with discriminatory remarks and comments that border on sexism and even misogyny. Based on the extensive literature on gender and discourse, the following paper will focus on gender-related heckles and analyse argumentative structures and topoi that are grounded in sexist stereotypes and conservative role-models. Presuming that these incidents are not isolated instances, the paper will compare and contrast several examples from around the world that have caught public attention.

Keywords: gender, politics, parliamentary discourse, argumentation, gender stereotypes
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Parliamentary communities of practice
  • 3.Analysing parliamentary heckling and gender
  • 4.Heckling women as public speakers
    • 4.1Into the lion’s den: Heckles focussing on personality traits
    • 4.2Feminine wiles: Heckles focussing on physical characteristics
    • 4.3Clucking hens: Heckles focussing on role behaviour
    • 4.4Wife and mother: Heckles focussing on occupation
  • 5.Conclusions
  • References
Published online: 9 August 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.18014.sto
References
Bucholtz, Mary
2003 “Theories of Discourse as Theories of Gender: Discourse Analysis in Language and Gender Studies.” In The Handbook of Language and Gender, ed. by Janet Holmes, and Miriam Meyerhoff, 43–68. Malden, MA: Blackwell. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Burkhardt, Armin
1992 “ ‘Das ist eine Frage des Intellekts, Frau Kollegin!‘ Zur Behandlung von Rednerinnen in deutschen Parlamenten.“ In Die Geschlechter im Gespräch. Kommunikation in Institutionen, ed. by Susanne Günthner, and Helga Kotthoff, 287–309. Stuttgart: Metzler. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
2005 „Deutsch im demokratischen Parlament. Formen und Funktionen der öffentlichen parlamentarischen Kommunikation.“ In Sprache und Politik. Deutsch im demokratischen Staat, ed. by Jörg Kilian, 85–98. Mannheim: Duden.Google Scholar
Cameron, Deborah, and Sylvia Shaw
2016 Gender, Power and Political Speech: Women and Language in the 2015 UK General Election. London: Palgrave. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Childs, Sarah
2004 “A Feminised Style of Politics? Women MPs in the House of Commons.” The British Journal of Politics and International Relations 61: 3–19. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Deaux, Kay, and Laurie L. Lewis
1983 “Assessment of gender stereotypes: Methodology and components.” Psychological Documents 131: 1–23.Google Scholar
1993 “Principles of critical discourse analysis.” Discourse & Society 4 (2): 249–283. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
1998 Ideology. A multidisciplinary approach. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Eckert, Penelope, and Sally McConnell-Ginet
2003 Language and Gender. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fairclough, Norman
2013 Language and Power. London: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fracchiolla, Béatrice
2011 „Politeness as a strategy of attack in a gendered political debate – The Royal-Sarkozy debate.” Journal of Pragmatics 431: 2480–2488. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Grisdale, Mackenzie
2011 “Heckling in the House of Commons.” Canadian Parliamentary Review 34 (3): 38–45.Google Scholar
Haines, Elizabeth L., Kay Deaux, and Nicole Lofaro
2016 “The Times They Are a-Changing … or Are They Not? A Comparison of Gender Stereotypes, 1983–2014.” Psychology of Women Quarterly 40 (3): 1–11. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Henderson, Ailsa
2007 Hierarchies of Belonging. National Identity and Political Culture in Scotland and Quebec. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.Google Scholar
Holtz-Bacha, Christina
2009 “Politikerinnen-Bilder im internationalen Vergleich.“ Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte 501: 3–8.Google Scholar
Ilie, Cornelia
2004 “Insulting as (un) parliamentary practice in the British and Swedish Parliaments: A rhetorical approach.” In Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Parliamentary Discourse, ed. by Paul Bayley, 45–86. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
2012 “Representing gender in parliamentary dialogue: Are there any cross-cultural stereotypes?” In (Re)presentations and Dialogue, ed. by François Cooren, and Alain Letourneau, 59–82. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
2013 “Gendering confrontational rhetoric: discursive disorder in the British and Swedish parliaments.” Democratization 20 (3): 501–521. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
2016 Sexism, harassment and violence against women parliamentarians. Issues Brief October 2016. Online available: [URL] [9.5.2017]
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
2017 Women in Politics: 2017. Online available: [URL].
Jones, Jennifer J.
2016 “Talk ‘Like a Man’: The Linguistic Styles of Hillary Clinton, 1992–2013.” Perspectives on Politics 14 (3): 625–642. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kienpointner, Manfred
1992 Alltagslogik. Struktur und Funktion von Argumentationsmustern. Stuttgart/Bad Cannstatt: Frommann-Holzboog.Google Scholar
Kite, Mary E., Kay Deaux, and Elizabeth L. Haines
2008 “Gender Stereotypes.” In Psychology of Women: A Handbook of Issues and Theories, ed. by Florence L. Denmark, and Michele A. Paludi, 205–236. London: Praeger.Google Scholar
Lakoff, Robin
2003 “Language, Gender, and Politics: Putting ‘Women’ and ‘Power’ in the Same Sentence.” In The Handbook of Language and Gender, ed. by Janet Holmes, and Miriam Meyerhoff, 161–178. Malden, MA: Blackwell. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lave, Jean, and Etienne Wenger
1991 Situated learning. Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lazar, Michelle M.
2007 “Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis: Articulating a Feminist Discourse Praxis.” Critical Discourse Studies 4 (2): 141–164. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lippmann, Walter
1922 Public Opinion. Verfügbar unter: [URL] [27.05.2017].
Lovenduski, Joni
2005 Feminizing Politics. Cambridge: Polity Press.Google Scholar
Lovenduski, Joni, and Pippa Norris
2003 “Westminster Women: the Politics of Presence.” Political Studies 511: 84–102. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Maloney, Ryan
2014 “Chrystia Freeland Heckled In House, Commentator Tells Her To Use ’Big Girl Voice’ (VIDEO).” The Huffington Post Canada 02.042014 Online available: [URL] [22.05.2017]
Millar, Matthew D.
2014 “I’m sorry for my inappropriate tweet to MP Chrystia Freeland.” The Vancouver Observer 05.022014 Online available: [URL] [22.05.2017]
Murray, Rainbow
(ed.) 2010 Cracking the highest glass ceiling: a global comparison of women’s campaigns for executive office. Santa Barbara: Praeger.Google Scholar
Randall, Vicky
1987 Women and Politics: An International Perspective. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ripley, Will, and Edmund S. Henry
2014 “Outrage follows sexist outburst at Tokyo assembly meeting.” CNN 20.062014 Online available: [URL] [23.05.2017].
Sarcinelli, Ulrich
2011 Politische Kommunikation in Deutschland Medien und Politikvermittlung im demokratischen System. Wiesbaden: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Shaw, Sylvia
2000 “Language, gender and floor apportionment in political debates.” Discourse and Society 11 (3): 401–418. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Silverstein, Michael
1979 “Language structure and linguistic ideology.” In The Elements: A parasession on linguistic units and levels, ed. by Paul R. Clyne, William F. Hanks, and Carol L. Hofbauer, 193–247. Chicago: Chicago Linguistic Society.Google Scholar
Schegloff, Emanuel A.
1997 “Whose text? Whose context?” Discourse & Society 8 (2): 165–187. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Stopfner, Maria
2013a Streitkultur im Parlament. Linguistische Analyse der Zwischenrufe im österreichischen Nationalrat. Tübingen: Narr.Google Scholar
2013b “Parliamentary heckling in the Austrian National Council.” Bulletin Suisse de Linguistique Appliquée No spécial II1: 89–106.Google Scholar
2017 „Institutionen als Handlungsfeld I: Legislative.“ In Handbuch Sprache in Politik und Gesellschaft, ed. by Kersten Sven Roth, Martin Wengeler, and Alexander Ziem, 371–397. Berlin: de Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Talbot, Mary
2003 “Gender Stereotypes: Reproduction and Challenge.” In The Handbook of Language and Gender, ed. by Janet Holmes, and Miriam Meyerhoff, 468–486. Malden, MA: Blackwell. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tannen, Deborah
1996 Gender and Discourse. Featuring a new essay on talk at work. New York: Oxford UP.Google Scholar
UN Secretary-General
2013 Measures taken and progress achieved in the promotion of women and political participation: Report of the Secretary-General. Document symbol: A/68/184. Online available: [URL] [09.05.2017].
Walsh, Clare
2013 Gender and Discourse: Language and Power in Politics, the Church and Organisations. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Weatherall, Ann
2002 Gender, Language and Discourse. Hove: Routledge.Google Scholar
Wenger, Etienne, Richard McDermott, and William M. Snyder
2002 Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide to Managing Knowledge. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.Google Scholar
West, Candace, and Don Zimmerman
1987 “Doing gender.” Gender and Society 1 (2): 125–151. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wodak, Ruth
2009 The Discourse of Politics in Action: Politics as Usual. Basingstoke: Palgrave.Google Scholar
2015 “Gender and Language: Cultural Concerns” In International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Vol 9, ed. by James D. Wright, 698–703. Oxford: Elsevier. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wodak, Ruth, and Brigitta Busch
2004 “Approaches to media texts.” In The SAGE Handbook of Media Studies, ed. by John D. H. Downing, Denis McQuail, Philip Schlesinger, and Ellen Wartella, 105–122. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wodak, Ruth, and Gilbert Weiß
2005 “Analyzing European Union discourses: Theories and applications”. In A New Agenda in (Critical) Discourse Analysis: Theory, Methodology and Interdisciplinarity, ed. by Ruth Wodak and Paul Chilton, 121–136. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 1 other publications

Och, Malliga
2020. Manterrupting in the German Bundestag: Gendered Opposition to Female Members of Parliament?. Politics & Gender 16:2 ► pp. 388 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 2 april 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.