GENDER AND THE PATHWAYS TO PARTICIPATION - THE ROLE OF RESOURCES

In this investigation of the voluntary participation of men and women, we find that even when the definition of activity is broadened beyond the electoral forms of activity usually considered, men are a bit mor e active in politics than women. However, the pattern across activitie s does not conform to the expectations generated by the literature. In comparison with men, women are disadvantaged when it comes to the res ources that facilitate political activity. When these resource deficit s are viewed in the context of the paths to participation taken by men and women, it turns out that if women were as well endowed with polit ical resources as men, their overall levels of political activity woul d be closer to men's and their financial contributions would be consid erably closer to men's.