Political equality within the household? The political role and influence of mothers and fathers in a multi-party setting

This study aims to contribute new insights into the way political labour' is divided in the household. I use data from a large-scale panel study, the Parent-Child Socialization Study 2012-2013, conducted among adolescents and both their parents in Belgium, to analyse the different ways in which family members engage in politics and influence each other's political preferences. First, I analyse differences in political engagement between fathers, mothers and adolescents. Second, I present a full triadic structural equation model to measure the political influence that fathers, mothers and adolescent children exert on one another. The findings suggest that fathers are (still) more engaged in politics, but when it comes to preferences for political parties, both parents influence their partners and their adolescent children in equal measure.