Gender Differences

ANN ARBOR Prior research suggests that women involved in politics focus primarily on different policy concerns than men and are more likely than men to take part in informal, grassroots activities while citing altruistic and civic aims as reasons for participation. However, a recent study published in the American Journal of Political Science by a University of Michigan political scientist finds that female activists differ little from their male counterparts, many of whom engage in policy issues of more general concern at the national level for rewards that are largely material. "We expect to find gender differences among activists in terms of the activities in which they specialise, the gratifications they reap from taking part, and the issues that animate their participation," says Nancy Burns, U-M assistant professor of political science. Probing as we might, we were surprised to find many more similarities than differences between men and women in all these dimensions. Contrary to expectations, we find no statistically significant gender difference in how important issues involving basic human needs, children or youth, the environment, or crime or drugs figure in issue-based participation, the researchers say.