The Gender Gap Reversed

A number of scholars worry that our civic and social life is eroding. Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam ² —arguably the most vocal proponent of this view—claims that reductions of confidence and social ties have not been limited to the political sphere, but rather extend into all aspects of society. Citizens in many countries not only refrain from joining political parties, but they also tend to participate less actively in all kinds of voluntary associations and other social activities. However, several criticisms and arguments have emerged to counter the claims of this “decline thesis.” ³ One of the fundamental lines of critique here is that the promoters of the decline thesis capture a one-sided social trend because they exclusively focus on the disappearance of traditional participation mechanisms, while at the same time neglecting new participation styles and methods that are rapidly replacing the old. ⁴ These authors argue that political interest and the willingness to participate in political and societal affairs are still as strong as they were a few decades ago, but that this no longer translates into membership in traditional political organizations. ⁵ Rather, citizens today (especially women and those of the younger generation) prefer participation in looser networks characterized by informality and nonhierarchical organization, in addition to various lifestyle-related sporadic mobilization efforts. Participation in informal local groups, political consumerism, involvement in advocacy networks, the regular signing and forwarding of e-mail petitions, and the spontaneous organization of protests and rallies, are just a few examples of this phenomenon. ⁶ In these examples, we see the impact of the processes of globalization and individualization on political participation.