Unraveling the Relationship Between Beliefs in Traditional Gender Roles and Voting Participation: A Cross-National Perspective

Participation in elections is essential for the health of democracies. Regardless of gender, individuals may hold traditional beliefs about women's roles in society that hinder their engagements in areas that challenge gender stereotypes, such as political participation. In this study, we examined how gender and beliefs about gender roles influence voting participation, while accounting for various ideological and demographic factors. We also explored how structural gender inequality, as measured by the country-level Gender Inequality Index, is reflected in voting at the individual level. Data were collected in a cross-country study (N = 19,297 participants, 51.2% women, mean age = 41.3, SD = 14.76) from 18 countries. We employed an innovative method, Multi-Group Factor Analysis Alignment, to address cross-country measurement invariance of the Traditional Gender Roles scale—a key construct in this study. Results from multi-level modeling revealed significant main effects of gender and beliefs about traditional gender roles, but no significant interaction between them. Citizens who endorse traditional gender roles were less likely to vote, regardless of their gender. This effect was more pronounced in societies with low to moderate levels of structural gender inequality. In contrast, in countries with pervasive gender inequality, voting was not associated with individual beliefs about gender roles. These findings highlight the importance for policymakers to address the detrimental effects of structural gender inequality and traditional gender roles in society, that can hinder citizens participation in voting.