The Gender Gap in Self-Perceived Understanding of Politics in Canada and the United States

In: Politics & gender, Band 4, Heft 4, S. 535-561

Abstract

Despite the gains women have made since the advent of second-wave feminism, women
remain less confident than men of their ability to understand politics. This
gender gap has remained unchanged for decades, yet it has attracted surprisingly
little scholarly attention in recent years. This article uses data from the 2000
American and 2004 Canadian election studies to assess whether differences in
women's and men's socioeconomic resources help to explain
the gender gap. We also examine whether there are differences in the ways that
socioeconomic resources affect women's and men's
self-perceived ability to understand politics. We focus particular attention on
the effects of parenthood on women's confidence in their
understanding of politics. Finally, we consider the role of feminism and gender
role conceptions.