Why Are Young Canadian Women Disengaging

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Why Are Young Canadian Women Disengaging?

• Melanee Thomas
• MA Candidate
• Department of Political Science
• University of Calgary

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What is disengagement?

• Those who are politically engaged are interested
  in politics, know some things about politics, and
  participate in politics.
• Those who are politically disengaged lack
  political interest and knowledge and do not
  participate in politics.
• What does political engagement get you?
• Responsive and progressive public policy.

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Why Young Women?

• 43 per cent of women between the ages of 20 and
  24 lived in poverty in 1980. Currently, 57 per
  cent of women between 20 and 24 live in poverty.
• The average annual salary of workers between the
  ages of 20 and 24 fell from 20 313 in 1980 to
  14 697 in 2001.
• Women in Canada earn approximately 67 per cent of
  their male peers (Statscan).

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Evidence

• Evidence of very low rates of participation among
  young Canadians in traditional forms of politics
  include
• Low voter turnout
• Low rates of membership in political parties
• Lack of interest in politics
• Lack of knowledge about politics

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Evidence of Disengagement
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Evidence of Disengagement
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Gender Gaps in Political Knowledge
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What is behind this lower rate of young womens
involvement?

• Lesser degree of interest in politics
• Lower levels of information about politics
• Persists despite increasing rates of
  post-secondary education.
• Resources are only part of the story.

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Conclusions Implications

• This may reflect a perception that politics isnt
  about women
• Socialisation gender roles in the home
• Relative absence of role models
• Negative media coverage of high-profile women
• Relative absence of discussion of women as a
  political category
• More difficult to recruit female candidates in
  the future smaller pool of willing women

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Where do we go from here?

• CES 2004 Is the story the same?
• Survey of Campus Activists (on-going)
• Contrast with YPMS
• Qualitative Research
• Focus groups
• Influence of media?
• Role of feminism?
• Socialisation politics begins in the home?