THE REVIEW OF COMMUNICATION
1 (2001): 77-80
© 2001 National Communication Association 

The Rhetoric of Women Governors

Nichola D. Gutgold

Brenda DeVore Marshall and Molly A. Mayhead, eds.  Navigating Boundaries:  The Rhetoric of Women Governors.  Westport:  Praeger, 2000.  xxi+150 pages.  $59.95 (cloth);  $18.95 (paper). 

Navigating Boundaries makes an important contribution to women’s rhetorical scholarship because if offers a comprehensive examination of women governors—an area that has received little scholarly attention. After the president, the governor is the most powerful elected official in the country.  As women continue to occupy the office of governor, it is useful to examine their constraints and rhetorical strategies. 

The introduction offers a selective literature review of women’s rhetoric.  It also notes the significant works that have considered a fusion of political campaigns and rhetoric—clearly of importance in this edited collection.   The review begins with early works in the 1930’s and 40’s that include Doris Yoakam’s 1935 doctoral dissertation, which marked the beginning of formal academic interest in women’s public speaking. The review is comprehensive and well written.   Moving through the 1940s, 50s and 60s; it then points to Karlyn Kohrs Campbell’s leadership in the field from the 1970s to the present and describes several works that have been produced in response to Campbell’s work.  The review concludes that there is now an increased interest in the scholarship of women’s rhetoric. 

The book focuses on five governors—Nellie Tayloe Ross, Martha Layne Collins, Ann Richards, Barbara Roberts, and Christine Todd Whitman—who have little in common other than gender.

The first chapter discusses the changing face of the office of governor and describes how, from colonial times to the present, the office has evolved.  Previously, the governor was a mere figurehead, whereas a governor now has a position of considerable power and importance.  Authors note that the first two women governors—Nellie Tayloe Ross and Miriam “Ma” Ferguson—were elected on the heels of the woman suffrage movement and it was another thirty years before a woman again became governor.  Since the turn of the century, only sixteen women have served as state governors.  Some were elected because of their husband’s political positions and others had varied political lives before assuming the governor’s office.  In each era, women faced various obstacles due to their gender, and this chapter amplifies those obstacles and describes the changes in the role of the governor throughout history.

Chapter 2, by Kristina Horn Sheeler, presents a cluster analysis of metaphors that have been used to describe women governors in the media throughout history.  The cluster analysis is in response to the containment in which women politicians find themselves because of democracy’s male-dominated history.  She argues that although women gain access to political leadership, their access is limited and shaped in masculine terms.  These four metaphors include “pioneer,” “puppet,” “beauty queen,” and “unruly woman.”  She argues that the metaphors are negative, limit women, and create another way to disenfranchise women in political life.

In chapter 3, Jennifer Burek Pierce offers a thorough look into the often conflicting private and public world of Nellie Tayloe Ross, the first woman ever elected to serve as governor in the United States.  Ross’s own writings and public work offer a link between private and public life and her own justification of her domestic role, as well as her public contributions.

Martha Layne Collins is the subject of author Alma Hall in chapter 4.  Here, Hall shares what she believes to be a winning strategy by Collins that allowed her to identify with the electorate of Kentucky, sharing their vision for educational and economic reform.  Collins’ skill at framing issues in a way that resonated well with constituents may be a useful model for other politicians to emulate.

Shannon Sharphol Kaml analyzes the rhetoric of Ann Richards in chapter 5 and asserts that Richards’ style is a blend of both feminine style rhetoric and populist rhetorical strategies.   Kaml believes that, because of the combination, Richards was able to enjoy success in a macho, male-dominated Texas. 

In chapter 6, editors Molly A. Mayhead and Brenda DeVore Marshall examine Barbara Roberts’ political rhetoric during the time of Oregon’s budget .   By reframing rhetorical paradigms, Roberts moved beyond traditional constraints.  By re-visioning the existing boundaries, Roberts was able to create a new framework of acceptance of her initiatives. This chapter also offers strategies that may prove useful to politicians.

In the last chapter, Kristina Horn Sheeler focuses on Christine Todd Whitman’s two inaugural addresses and selected radio addresses as governor of New Jersey.  Sheeler argues that Whitman’s rhetoric was replete with ideological influence, and although she appeared to move issues for women forward in her rhetoric, she does not offer any structural change for women.  The chapter considers the ways in which Whitman both reinforced existing ideologies and created a new political belief system that was more amenable to both men and women. 

This book does not examine the rhetorical activities of every woman governor, and to do so would significantly increase the length of the study.  It does present a collection of analyses as different as the women themselves.   The work amplifies a common theme among these female governors—the Western notion of a public and private sphere duality that each of these women attempted to rise above.  The volume provides an imaginative and important discussion of women governors.  The book offers much needed discourse on an area of government where women are underrepresented.  Because a woman has not been elected president in America yet, and a governorship is so often an entrée into presidential politics, this book will no doubt help to chart the course still to be traveled by women in the American political journey.  This work is an excellent springboard for future scholars who will take up the important work of analyzing future women governors as the numbers of women who occupy this significant political office will increase in the future.  As the politicians presented in this study have redefined women’s political roles, this book advances the study of women’s rhetorical scholarship by offering an imaginative collection of analyses of America’s women governors. 

Nichola D. Gutgold is assistant professor of speech communication at Penn State Berks-Lehigh Valley College.