Gender and Voting Behavior: Are Women Voters Changing Electoral Outcomes?

Abstract

This paper reviews the complex relationship between gender and voting behavior, paying attention to whether or not women voters are making meaningful differences in electoral outcomes in democratic politics. Based on the literature in political science, electoral data, and cross-national studies, it posits that the gender gap in voting (both in terms of turnout and candidate preference) has widened considerably since the 1980s and women are a key and structurally distinct political force. The paper outlines histories of suffrage to the present day of women's participation in elections, examines policy-preference gaps between men and women, and questions the simplistic “women's vote” narratives by considering other salient factors like race, education, age, and socioeconomic status. Several pieces of evidence from the USA, India, South Asia and Europe are incorporated globally. The paper also discusses new theories, such as intersectionality and feminist mobilization theory, that can account for the political action of women as a diverse but powerful force. The conclusion concludes that, although women do not vote as a monolithic block, the overall gender vote choice gap of 4-18 percentage points across electoral cycles is a force that affects not only the outcomes of elections, but also the priorities of policies and the very structure of representative democracy.