The role of gender in shaping the effect of volunteering on first-time voter turnout

Falling youth turnout in Europe has increased interest in measures that can encourage electoral participation among young voters, including the promotion of volunteering. Recent studies show that volunteering can increase turnout among young people; the effects are moderated, however, by family background. This highlights the potential importance of other institutions that structure political socialisation on the volunteer/voting relationship, of which gender is a powerful example. This article examines that potential and shows that while volunteering increases first-time voter turnout among young men, there is no evidence of such benefit for young women. Data limitations prevent hypotheses explaining this relationship from being tested, but the article argues that this reflects the impact of gendered political socialisation on the types of volunteering young men and women engage in, with that of men being more productive of resources that encourage turnout.