The Gender Gap

One of the most interesting statistics that was repeatedly reported on the Pew Research articles was the statistic that men are more likely than women to keep up with politics and international affairs. It was reported that 45% of men and only 25% of women fell into the top third tier of those who are most interested in international affairs. 42% of women and only 26% of men fell into the bottom third group of people (those least interested in these subjects). It is also a common trend that education level and the number of correct answers people give are positively correlated. Then why do we see fewer women in the 'most aware of public knowledge' group when more women have been attending college than men since the year 2000? The New York Times reports that since 2000, 57% of college attendees have been women and 43% have been men. UVa follows this national trend; in 2009, 57% of the students on grounds were women and 43% were men. Is there something about public knowledge that differs from the knowledge that students seek by going to college? In other words, in 'book smartness' different than 'political smartness'?

If education does not explain this huge gender gap, then what does? We have talked before about the role that intimidation plays in discouraging people from becoming politically active.

It wasn't until 1920 that women were given the right to vote. Women are slowly gaining more higher level governmental roles but maybe the obvious disparity is still a powerful enough message to prevent women from taking an active role in the public realm. Is there something about the nature of political information that is not as appealing to women? The political world is often characterized as being unforgiving and harsh. The majority of women who enter high ranked government position have had the question asked about them: "Will she be able to stand strong when faced with a tough decision?" Hillary Clinton's experience as a Presidential nominee in 2008 is a great example of this. The political world is still a very masculine realm. It is highly possible that even though more women are receiving college educations, they are slower to penetrate the political world.

It may also be that the process of obtaining political knowledge is different than the way students study in order to have successful college careers. The act of seeking political knowledge requires one to feel that the information they are reading is somewhat relevant to their lives. Perhaps women are less likely to relate to the news stories that dominate the media and therefore will invest less time in educating themselves. A large portion of the U.S.'s involvement in international affairs are dominated by war and conflict. As only 20% of the U.S. military is made up of women, women may feel less connected to how the U.S. is fairing overseas. Few women hold high governmental positions. This may discourage women from becoming active and educated citizens if they feel they have no chance at being represented.