Journal of Electoral Studies

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Home Issues Backissues Volume 31, No.1 The Gender Difference in Political Participation

The Gender Difference in Political Participation

Wang-Ying Yang
2007 / 11
Volume 14, No.2

pp.53-94
10.6612/tjes.2007.14.02.53-94

Abstract

This study applies 2003 Taiwan Social Change Survey data to examine gender differences in political participation and possible explanations. The major explanations for gender differences in political participations are two: first, women are less politically active due to women's incapable of participation. Men and women locate in different social status or face different private situations, in return, they own different participatory resources and conditions. Secondly, women are less willing to participate; because of the socialization effect women are relatively passive in terms of political engagement. The gaps in recognition and attitude then translate into political behaviors. Recent studies in political participation have gradually changed focus from resource-and-condition to recognition-and-attitude. This primary analysis also finds that the cause of gender difference in political participation lies less in resource-and-condition and more in recognition-and-attitude. However, resource-and-condition and recognition-and-motivation are not independent factors, individual motivation for political participation are shaped and constrained by his/her resources and conditions. This study thither applies path analysis to untangle the different impacts of various factors, to see how they interactively directly and indirectly deeply and slightly influence gender differences in political participation.

Keywords

gender difference

political participation

social structure

private situation

political engagement