The gender gap in support for governments during the COVID crisis. Issue 2 (1st February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mazza, Jacopo; Scipioni, Marco
• Is Part Of: Journal of European public policy. Volume 30:Issue 2(2023)
• Page Start: 254
• Page End: 270
• Publication Date: 2023-02-01
• Subjects: COVID-19 -- political support -- rally effect -- gender gap; European Union countries -- Politics and government -- Periodicals; Political planning -- European Union countries -- Periodicals; Politique publique -- Pays de l'Union européenne -- Périodiques; Pays de l'Union européenne -- Politique et gouvernement -- Périodiques; 361.61094
• DOI: 10.1080/13501763.2022.2027503
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1350-1763

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Using data covering most European Union Member States, we study how the support for national governments has unravelled in the first months of the COVID pandemic. Motivated by the growing evidence on the uneveneconomic impact of this crisis across genders, we study if suchunequal economic burden is related to differences in support for public authorities between men and women. While the support for national governments has overall faded in the period considered, the decline has been more pronounced for women and working women in particular. We find indication that the decline in support signals a shift in concerns among Europeans and women in particular, from the health emergency to the economic consequences of the pandemic. We impute up to a third of the widening gender gap in support for government to the shift of emphasis from the health to the economic dimension of the crisis.