FEMALE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: A MULTI-GROUP ANALYSIS USING THE WORLD VALUES SURVEY

This study uses multi-group structural equation modelling (multi-group SEM) to examine the structural features of female political participation and its determinants in five European countries, based on data from the seventh round of the World Values Survey (WVS). The study first supports the idea of a multi-dimensional structure by confirming that political participation can be divided into institutional and non-institutional dimensions. Subsequent investigation reveals that the primary factor influencing both forms of participation behaviour is socioeconomic status (SES), which is particularly important in the UK and Germany but has a smaller impact in the Czechia and the Netherlands. Lastly, subgroup modelling shows that path structure is moderated by marital status: age more strongly predicts institutional participation among married women, while the SES effect is stronger among single women. The results contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying intra-group diversity and female political participation.