Equally fit for elected office? Gender gaps in self-perceived political competence across levels of policymaking

This study examines how women and men perceive their competence to hold elected office across different levels of policymaking. While research has documented a persistent gender gap in self-perceived political competence, less is known about how this gap varies across the local, regional, national, and European Union levels. Drawing on original survey data collected in Finland in 2023, we investigate gendered patterns in self-perceived competence at each level and assess the role of family political socialisation. Our analyses reveal significant gender gaps across all levels, with women reporting lower levels of self-perceived competence than men and the largest gap occurring at the local level. These findings suggest that self-perceived political competence is context-dependent and shaped by the institutional and symbolic characteristics of political arenas. In addition, we find that family socialisation is more strongly associated with men’s self-perceived competence than women’s, particularly at the national and European Union levels.