The Social Participation of Young People in University Settings: The Gender Gap in Participatory Profiles and Explanatory Processes

This study aims to analyze the participatory profile of women and men, and to explore to what extent gender may moderate the associations between intrapersonal variables and social participation, considering also the potential socialization effects of university experiences. Two studies are presented. Study 1 analyzed 3856 university students who had completed at least the first year of their undergraduate degree. Study 2 analyzed 1061 young people who had just started their university studies. Both used online questionnaires to evaluate social participation and the intrapersonal variables internal efficacy, moral obligation, self-concept and social norms. The results indicated that women and men exhibited largely similar participatory profiles across both samples, although women reported higher levels in most of the behaviors examined. Moreover, the findings suggest that the moderating role of gender is not fixed but varies according to developmental stage and the socialization processes occurring within the university context. This underscores the importance of viewing gender not merely as a descriptive characteristic, but as a dynamic factor shaping the psychosocial processes underpinning youth participation. Such insights can inform the design of targeted interventions aimed at promoting more equitable participation and fostering critical reflection on the role of universities in strengthening civic engagement among young people.