Does Simulating Financial Equality Reduce the Political Donations Gender Gap?

Abstract

A variety of research has found strong evidence that men are more likely to donate to political parties and candidates relative to women. Yet studies of other kinds of political participation have observed a shrinking gender gap. What explains this variation? One possible explanation comes from several studies that report women are more likely to donate to nonpolitical groups when told they have been entered into a monetary draw. Does simulating resource equality also reduce the political donations gender gap? To answer this question, we analyse original Canadian data from two surveys that asked participants how much they would give to a federal (survey 1)/provincial (survey 2) political party if they were given CDN$100. Contrary to our expectations, we find no gender gap at the federal level and a positive gap favouring women at the provincial level.