Communicating female and minority interests online: A study of Web site issue discussion among female, Latino, and African American members of Congress

Previous communication studies have noted the importance of descriptive representation for increasing elected officials' discussion of women's and minority issues. While increased attention to these issues is important for the symbolic representation of these politically marginalized groups, women's and minority issues often constitute a minor portion of representatives' agendas. Strategically, female, Latino, and African American U.S. House members may provide greater symbolic representation for women and minorities by including their interests and concerns in discussion of more general issues that commonly top the political agenda. Relying on a content analysis of 10 1 official congressional Web sites, the author examines the extent to which representatives address the needs of their female and minority constituents in their general issue discussion. Results demonstrate that female, Latino, and African American House members more frequently connect general issues to race, ethnicity, and gender compared with their Anglo and male counterparts. The implications of representatives piggybacking the interests of female and minority constituents on more politically salient issues are discussed.