The Gender Digital Divide and Gender Gaps in Political Engagement

The Moynihan Institute’s, Study of Global Politics series welcomes Jakana Thomas from the University of California San Diego. 

Existing research finds both that women are less likely to protest than men and that cellphone access increases protest participation. Yet, no work asks whether gulfs in mobile ownership between men and women affect protest turnout gaps. Our manuscript examines this relationship, showing that the growing gender digital divide in cellphone ownership exacerbates the participation gap. We use a variety of methodological techniques to demonstrate that where women systematically own fewer cellphones than men, they protest less frequently than men. We show this relationship extends to lower cost forms of political and civic activism as well. Together, our work shows how unequal cellphone access can further entrench women’s position on the political margins. 

Jakana Thomas is associate professor in the School of Global Policy and Strategy and Department of Political Science at University of California San Diego. Her research focuses on political violence and conflict processes with an emphasis on understanding women’s participation in and experiences with contentious politics. Her work has been published in leading political science and international relations journals, including the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, and International Organization, among other outlets. She is PI on a Blue Shield Foundation funded project examining Californians’ experiences with violence across their lifespans (CalVEX). The project team has produced a number of policy briefs and reports focusing on the policy implications of intimate partner violence.