ABSTRACT
Are there gender differences in political attitudes and behavior among Asian Americans? In what ways do men and women of Asian descent differ and why? How significant is gender relative to other factors in predicting Asian American political attitudes and behavior? This chapter examines similarities and differences between Asian American men and women in the United States along a broad range of topics related to their political experiences explored in other chapters. They include socioeconomic status, socialization, ethnic identity, social and political connectedness, political orientation, political participation, candidate choice, and issue preference. Thus, this chapter’s focus is on gender differences, not sexual differences, in political attitudes and behavior. Social scientists distinguish between “sex” and “gender.” To quote Josephson and Tolleson-Rinehart. “Sex is the characteristics of the biological being; gender is the socially constructed aspect of self” (2000:4).
