Are Women More Conservative than Men in Korean Politics? Evidence from the 2012 Parliamentary Election

In the United States and many European countries, women have been more left-wing than men for the last three decades, and gender politics became very important. Are women politically more conservative (or liberal) than men in Korea? People have disagreed, but evidence data are scanty. In this paper, we examine the presence of political gender gap using data on two Parliamentary Election survey data: 2008 and 2012. Our analysis shows that while women were more liberal than men in 2008 in voting, women became more conservative than men in 2012 with statistical insignificance. But even in 2012, women were not conservative than men in all issues. Women projected a more liberal view towards FTA regulation and peace with North Korea while remaining more conservative than men on Chaebul and welfare policies.