Gendered Divides in Online Discussions about Reproductive Rights

TL;DR

This study analyzes nearly 10 million abortion-related tweets to reveal how gender, ideology, and location interact to shape online discourse, showing gender significantly influences attitudes and emotional expression especially in conservative regions.

Contribution

It uncovers the complex interplay of gender, ideology, and geography in online abortion debates, highlighting gender's role in moderating attitudes and emotional responses during institutional disruptions.

Findings

Gender moderates abortion attitudes and emotional expression.

A pronounced gender gap in attitudes exists in conservative regions.

The Dobbs leak increased online engagement, especially among pro-abortion women.

Abstract

The U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization marked a turning point in the national debate over reproductive rights. While the ideological divide over abortion is well documented, less is known about how gender and local sociopolitical contexts interact to shape public discourse. Drawing on nearly 10 million abortion-related posts on X (formerly Twitter) from users with inferred gender, ideology and location, we show that gender significantly moderates abortion attitudes and emotional expression, particularly in conservative regions, and independently of ideology. This creates a gender gap in abortion attitudes that grows more pronounced in conservative regions. The leak of the Dobbs draft opinion further intensified online engagement, disproportionately mobilizing pro-abortion women in areas where access was under threat. These findings reveal that abortion discourse is not only ideologically polarized but also deeply structured by gender and place, highlighting the central role of identity in shaping political expression during moments of institutional disruption.