Girls in politics: can you picture it? A study on the impact of frames and imagined experiences on perceived political efficacy among Belgian youth.

The field of politics is still considered a male-dominated environment and the participation of women in political activities continues to lag behind. Women’s lower political participation is often linked to their perceived lower political self-efficacy, defined as individuals’ beliefs in their capacity to influence the political system (Bandura, 1997). Self-efficacy beliefs determine how people feel, think and act. One of the sources of information that shape self-efficacy are the so-called imagined experiences (imagining oneself as being effective in hypothetical situations). Lakoff’s (2008) work on neurolinguistic conceptualization suggests that cultural narratives can influence people’s imagined experiences. Cultural frames are automatically activated in the brain when discussing politics. These frames enable (or hamper) the presence of success in imagined experiences (in hypothetical situations). To the extent in which these frames and narratives (i.e. roles and behaviour ascribed or set apart for ‘ideal’ men and women) affect women’s and men’s imagined experiences differently, it may help explain gender differences in perceived political self-efficacy. Furthermore, adolescence is identified as a crucial period in establishing the gender gap in political efficacy, with girls’ political self-efficacy tends to stagnate during adolescence, while that of boys tends to increase. This study explores (1) how frames and narratives shape boys’ and girls’ imagined experiences of (un)successfully influencing politics and (2) to which extent differences in these experiences may explain gender differences in levels of perceived political efficacy. The current paper draws on focus group data, 15 video observations of courses, and survey data of grade 8 pupils in Belgium. Thematic analysis of the frames/mental images activating through boys’ and girls’ conversations on politics reveal that different frames are activated. The preliminary analysis of the qualitative data seems to indicate a different value attributed by boys and girls to different narratives. The most frequent narratives seem to revolve around power, influence, and conflict. It seems that both boys and girls recognise these narratives but make an antithetical emotional association with them. Moreover, these frames were endorsed by informal sanctioning mechanisms (ignoring, ridiculing, …). This seems to indicate that frames about politics are still too often embedded in gender-stereotypical narratives.