Problem Definition and Public Policy: Congressional Committees Confront Work, Family, and Gender, 1945-1990

Abstract

Public policy is strongly affected by how public problems are defined, and, in the United States, how congressional committees define a problem sets the stage for legislative action. This article analyzes how congressional committees dealt with problems linking paid work family, and gender from 1945 through 1990. We use content analysis of committee reports to systematically describe committee definitions of the problem, competition among definitions, and disagreements between parties and committees. There have been multiple definitions of the problem; definitions incorporating more expansive views of gender equality have won increasing support; and there has been little support for keeping men and women in traditional roles. When the parties disagree, it is more over the scope of government than over paid work, family, and gender.