U.S. Elite and Public Views on Anti-Terrorist Military Action: Are Women Less Militaristic?

The increasing numbers of U.S. women in elite positions beg the question: do women and men share the same anti-terrorist policy attitudes, and are elite (and non-elite) women less militaristic? Using data from four surveys of elites and masses from 1986 to 2004, the authors examine men's and women's attitudes towards the use of three types of force against terrorists and how these have changed over time. Elite and non-elite women are typically less supportive than their men counterparts of military action against terrorists, but after the September 11, 2001 attacks the gender gap decreased and large majorities favoured such action. Among elites, but not the public, gender differences diminish among those with similar demographic and political positions. With negligible gender differences among similarly placed elites, and high levels of militarism among the masses, the authors conclude that U.S. elites have broad latitude in setting anti-terrorist policies.