Suchergebnisse

Unequal participation in certain types of political engagement creates unequal influence on political and civil matters (Boulianne, 2022). Studies find that men and women tend to do a similar amount of political participation, with women engaging in more private and flexible forms, and men participating in more direct and collective forms (Bode, 2017; Coffé & Bolzendahl, 2010; Van Duyn et al., 2019; Pfanzelt & Spies, 2019). However, more data is needed when considering Canadian trends, especially when it comes to the causes of these trends. In this study, I conduct statistical analysis of secondary data from a February 2021 Canadian survey (n=1,568) designed by Dr. Shelley Boulianne. I determine which forms of political participation have gendered participation gaps and whether or not these are related to conflict avoidance tendencies and having political female role models. I find few gender differences in political participation. Some small gender differences persist in online forms of political participation, such as signing petitions online and commenting on news sites. Men were more likely post comments on news sites, compared to women; women more likely to sign online petitions, compared to men. As such, political participation moves online, the gender gap may be reproducing itself in online spaces.

Studies find that men and women tend to do a similar amount of political participation, however, they tend to engage in different forms of participation (Bode, 2017, p. 598; Coffé & Bolzendahl, 2010, p. 330; Van Duyn et al., 2019, p.10; Pfanzelt & Spies, 2019, p. 45). Women tend to engage in more private and flexible forms, whereas men tend to participate in more direct and collective forms (Coffé & Bolzendahl, 2010, 330). However, there is variation when studies take into account the platform. Many studies mention political socialization or gendered socialization as a possible explanation for their findings in regards to women's political participation trends, while others mention conflict avoidance or role models (Coffé & Bolzendahl, 2010, p. 330; Coffé & Bolzendahl, 2017, p. 149; Beauregard, 2016, p. 87; Bos et al., 2020, p. 477; Carreras, 2018, p. 40; Coffé & Bolzendahl, 2017, p. 149; Pfanzelt & Spies, 2019, p. 45; Caudillo, 2017, p. 128). In this proposal, I intend to discuss my literature review and how I will answer the following main research questions in my honours thesis: Is there a gender gap in overall political participation amongst Canadians? To what extent do views about politics being conflictual explain gendered differences in political participation in Canada? And, to what extent do female role models have an effect on Canadian women's political participation? I will be using Jamovi programming to complete a quantitative study based on the secondary analysis of Canadian data from a 2021 Kantar administered study designed by Dr. Shelley Boulianne. Department: Sociology Faculty Mentor: Dr. Shelley Boulianne