“A mí esto me duele mucho”: Conversación política y género en una sociedad desigual

Abstract

Specialized studies indicate that men talk more about politics than women, especially in debates taking place in the day to day of the family, friends or among coworkers. Informal political conversation appears to be an activity where the so-called gender gap persists. In this research, based on 13 focus groups developed in Spain between 2011 and 2013, we wonder in what conditions men and women participate equally in the political debate. The analysis of the involvement and the dynamics of interaction reveal that, in fact, in most groups men initiate more interventions; however, in those groups formed by militants of the left-wing, the right-wing, or social movements’ activists, the women intervene a similar number of times, using individual strategies of visibility and collective strategies of mutual support to legitimate their voices in conversations.