Do Women and Men Know Different Things? Measuring Gender Differences in Political Knowledge

That women exhibit lower levels of political knowledge than men is a common and consistent finding in political science research. Recently, scholars have begun examining whether the content and structure of political knowledge measures contribute to women’s perceived knowledge deficit. In an attempt...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of politics 2011-01, Vol.73 (1), p.97-107
Main Author: Dolan, Kathleen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Central Government
Females
Gender differences
Gender equality
Gender equity
Gender politics
Knowledge
Knowledge level
Men
Political attitudes
Political candidates
Political Science
Political Science Research
Political socialization
Political systems
Representation
Respondents
Senators
Sex
Sex Differences
United States of America
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Summary:That women exhibit lower levels of political knowledge than men is a common and consistent finding in political science research. Recently, scholars have begun examining whether the content and structure of political knowledge measures contribute to women’s perceived knowledge deficit. In an attempt to enter the debate on the explanations for gender differences in knowledge, I create and test a number of measures of gender-relevant political knowledge to determine whether broadening our definitions of what constitutes “knowledge” may help us more clearly understand the apparent gender gap in political knowledge in the United States. The results indicate that expected gender differences disappear when respondents are asked about the levels of women’s representation in the national government.
ISSN:0022-3816
1468-2508
DOI:10.1017/S0022381610000897