Explaining the gender gap in voting: A cross-national analysis

Objective. Studies of the gender gap in electoral behavior have now become a familiar feature of social science research. Yet there is still disagreement about its nature and extent as well as what accounts for its development. This paper examines male-female differences in voting behavior in terms of three frequently offered explanations: inequalities in socioeconomic attainment, greater situational constraints on women, and differences in political orientations. Methods. We analyze survey data from the 1993 Australian Election Survey, the 1992 British Election Survey, and the 1992 American National Election Survey by using a regression decomposition technique for blocks of variables representing each of the three explanations for gender differences. Results. Our findings provide some evidence to support each explanation. For example, in both Britain and Australia, the two major consistently discriminating factors are gender inequalities in socioeconomic attainment and situational constraints. Such factors as women's greater familial responsibilities and their differing occupational experiences help explain the gender gap in these countries. In the United States, however, it is predominantly political orientations-namely, that women are significantly more likely to favor the left side of some common political issues, which explains their differing electoral choices. Conclusions. Although gender differences in voting behavior are a widely observed phenomenon, the explanation for them is not the same in these three countries. Socioeconomic and situational factors are more important in Britain and Australia while political factors are more influential in the United States.