10.7910/DVN/L8UTOH Fraile, Marta Marta Fraile https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4123-2874 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Harvard Dataverse 2023 Social Sciences Fraile, Marta Marta Fraile Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas 2023-10-30 2023-10-30 567 274 595 9906 299706 108452 text/tab-separated-values text/tab-separated-values text/tab-separated-values application/x-stata-syntax text/tab-separated-values text/tab-separated-values 1.0 Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Given women’s gains in employment, education, and economic status, the persistent gender gap in internal political efficacy remains a puzzle for social scientists. We go beyond standard socioeconomic explanations and consider gender roles, which, unlike socioeconomic situations, are a slow-moving force constrained by gendered socialization. Stereotypically feminine traits jar with stereotypical notions of politics in general, as competitive, and leaders as power-seeking and assertive. Drawing on observational data from an original survey fielded in Spain, we show that this incongruence accounts for women’s perception of having a low capacity to participate in politics. Results from a survey experiment suggest that this relationship is not set in stone, however. When politicians’ motivation is framed in line with feminine traits—as a public service rather than a struggle for power—women consider themselves just as capable as men of participating in politics. The results have implications for women’s political participation and representation in politics.