What is the gender gap in political participation and opinion?

• A. Women and men have identical political participation and issue priorities.
• B. Differences in political engagement and issue priorities between men and women, often with women voting more Democratic and prioritizing social welfare issues.
• C. Men outrun women in turnout and prefer economic issues.
• D. The gender gap is about representation in office only.

Answer: (B)

The gender gap in political participation and opinion refers to systematic differences between women and men in how they engage politically and what issues they prioritize. In many contexts, women participate at different rates and tend to support different policy priorities and parties. A well-documented pattern is that women are more likely to vote for candidates from the Democratic or left-leaning side and to emphasize social welfare issues such as healthcare, education, and welfare programs. Men, depending on the context, may emphasize economic or other issues and can show different turnout patterns. This gap is about more than just who holds office; it reflects broader differences in turnout and issue salience between the sexes. Therefore, the statement describing differences in engagement and issue priorities—with women voting more Democratic and prioritizing social welfare issues—best captures the gender gap.