Unveiling the Causes of Low Women's Political Participation: Novel Perspectives From China

Zhongwu Li

Review of Development Economics, 2025, vol. 29, issue 4, 2361-2378

Abstract: Addressing the persistent underrepresentation of women in political spheres, this study investigates the determinants of female political engagement in China, with a specific focus on the under‐explored role of self‐esteem. To establish causality and mitigate potential biases, we leverage rich data from two nationally representative surveys: the China Family Panel Studies and the National Survey on Women's Social Status of China, and employ robust econometric techniques. These include logit and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, and bias‐reduction methods such as nearest‐neighbor matching, inverse probability weighting, and instrumental variables method to address self‐selection and endogeneity. Our analysis reveals a key finding: lower self‐esteem significantly leads to reduced political participation among Chinese women. Notably, the effect size of self‐esteem exceeds that of both cogntive ability and the Big Five personality traits within our model. This result has important implications, suggesting that interventions aimed at boosting women's self‐esteem could be a key strategy for increasing their political engagement. Beyond its academic contributions, this study offers a novel perspective on addressing the persistent gender gap in political participation, which remains a significant barrier to women's broader societal advancement.

Date: 2025
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