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About this paper
Mohammad Omar Khursheed, Mandira Sawkar, Ashiqur R. KhudaBukhsh
A computational analysis of British parliamentary debates from 1803 to 2005 employed large language models and the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory to classify types of sexism in speeches concerning women's rights. The study identified distinct rhetorical patterns, demonstrating that while overall support for women's political representation increased, benevolent sexism remained prevalent, particularly in arguments that favored women's rights but implicitly confined them to traditional roles.
Key insights
- Political disagreement on women's rights in parliament was characterized by distinct rhetorical strategies, with proponents and opponents employing different forms of reasoning and sexism.
- Benevolent sexism, often expressed as paternalistic praise, could coexist even within speeches advocating for women's rights, indicating that formal policy support does not always equate to progressive reasoning.
- Large Language Models can be effectively validated and applied to perform nuanced classification tasks on extensive historical texts, allowing for insights into social phenomena across centuries.
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