Explanations for the Gender Gap An interplay of
social, economic, and psychological factors produced
the gender gap. Most explanations for the gender
gap in the 1980 election centered on the Republican
Party’s abandonment of support for the Equal Rights
Amendment and Reagan’s conservative policy
agenda. Many claimed that the feminist movement
contributed to the gender gap by publicizing differ-
ences in male and female perspectives about social
issues and by encouraging women to vote.
Others proposed economic explanations for the
gender gap, suggesting it related to differences in so-
cioeconomic status between men and women. In the
1980 election, however, women from higher income
categories voted similarly to those with lower in-
comes. Overall, however, women may have seen
themselves as more economically vulnerable than
men, even when they did not occupy a lower income
category. Women tended to vote on issues pertain-
ing to the economy, reflecting a national concern
and a goal of establishing equality, while men tended
to engage in pocketbook voting based upon their
personal interests rather than those of the country.
The nurturance perspective argues that many
women are taught to be more compassionate than are
many men. Women, thus, may view politics through
the lens of a caregiver and vote accordingly. As com-
pared to men, women tend more consistently to sup-
port reducing military involvement, enforcing fewer
criminal penalties, taking more actions to protect
the environment, and spending more for social pro-
grams. Women’s rising labor-force participation has
also been suggested as an explanation for the gender
gap. As more women entered the labor force, the gap
widened. Employed women often engaged in more
political discussions and policy debates, and they of-
ten received more information about candidates,
than did those whose lives focused more consistently
in the domestic sphere. Labor-force participation
may also have provided women with opportunities to
challenge traditional gender expectations and ex-
posed them more directly to gender inequalities in
the form of lower wages. These experiences would
both have shaped women’s political opinions and in-
creased their tendency to see themselves as wielders
of power in the public sphere.
Impact The gender gap forced politicians to recog-
nize women’s power as a political interest group and
raised awareness of women’s issues such as abortion
rights, the use of force, and environmental protec-
tion. Although it did not affect the outcome of presi-
dential races in the 1980’s, the gender gap may have
aided the Democratic Party in retaining control of
the House of Representatives in the face of the Rea-
gan Revolution, and it forced both parties to modify
their platforms in order to court women voters.Further Reading
Abzug, Bella.Gender Gap. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,- Gives an in-depth view of the 1980 election
and the gender gap.
Center for the American Woman and Politics. Eagle-
ton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University. http://
http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu. Provides a comprehensive
summary of statistics regarding women and poli-
tics.
Chaney, Carole Kennedy, et al. “Explaining the Gen-
der Gap in U.S. Presidential Elections, 1980-1992.”
Political Research Quarterly51, no. 2 (1998): 311- - Examines the gender gap using theories re-
garding the different issue emphases of the two
genders.
Howell, Susan E., et al. “Complexities of the Gender
Gap.”The Journal of Politics62, no. 3 (August,
2000): 858-874. Relates the gender gap to wom-
en’s cultural roles and increased autonomy from
men.
Ingelhart, Ronald, et al. “The Gender Gap in Voting
and Public Opinion.” InRising Tide: Gender, Equal-
ity, and Cultural Change Around the World.New
York: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Thor-
ough overview of the development of the gender
gap from a cross-cultural perspective.
Manza, Jeff, et al. “The Gender Gap in U.S. Presiden-
tial Elections: When? Why? Implications?”The
American Journal of Sociology103, no. 5 (March
1998): 1235-1266. Good historical overview of the
gender gap and compares multiple theories of
why the gender gap exists.
Norrander, Barbara. “The Evolution of the Gender
Gap.”Public Opinion Quarterly63 (1999): 566-576.
Discusses implication of independent voters on
the gender gap.
Smeal, Eleanor.Why and How Women Will Elect the
Next President.New York: Harper & Row, 1984. A
feminist view of the gender gap by a former presi-
dent of the National Organization for Women.
Wirls, Daniel. “Reinterpreting the Gender Gap.”
Public Opinion Quarterly50, no. 3 (Autumn 1986):
404 Gender gap in voting The Eighties in America