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SEX AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS OF THE “FEMALE CULTURE” *
Author(s) -
LAFFERTY WILLIAM M.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
european journal of political research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.267
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1475-6765
pISSN - 0304-4130
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-6765.1980.tb00576.x
Subject(s) - politics , affect (linguistics) , socioeconomic status , political culture , social psychology , personality , preference , psychology , demographic economics , sociology , demography , political science , economics , population , communication , law , microeconomics
The study of sexual differences in political participation is increasing in analytic specificity. The present article takes its point of departure in the contention that sexual differences are the major source of participatory inequality in Norway. On the basis of survey data ( N = 784), it explores a major hypothesis on sexual variation: the possible existence of a “female culture” which conditions women away from greater involvement. Participation is defined as both electoral and interest‐group involvement, and various indicators of the female culture are studied by regression analysis to determine their effect in relation to other socioeconomic factors. There are two major findings: (1) Both positive and negative evidence of the female culture are revealed, but, with the exception of general political interest, none of the personality, attitude, or value components affect political participation. (2) The variable which explains sexual variation most is an interaction variable composed of gender, family status, and work status. Being married and having children appears to exert strong differential effects on the involvement patterns of women and men, and these patterns can be traced out in terms of gender‐specific profiles of organizational attachment and intra‐organizational recruitment. As a conditioner of political involvement, the female culture is best understood as a question of gender‐specific role demands in relation to the productive and reproductive processes, with clear consequences for organizational preference and political activization.