The overall objective of this thesis is to investigate the gender differences in political participation in Sweden. It attempts to analyse three specific research questions: i) Is there a gender gap in political participation? ii) Is there an effect from the level of education on women’s political participation?, and iii) is there an effect from the level of income on women’s political participation? To answer these research questions, a cross sectional research design with descriptive analysis was adopted. Relevant data were selected from the statistics available with the Statistiska centralbyrån (SCB). Theories and models of political participation, as well as the previous studies of similar nature were used in interpretations. 

The study revealed that a gender gap in political participation exists in Sweden. This gap reflects a positive trend in electoral activities, where women outnumber men in voting in all three levels of elections: national (riksdag), county councils (regionfullmäktig), and municipalities (kommunfullmäktige). But, when overall participation in four types of political activities; i.e. i) being a member of a political party, ii) attending meetings with a political party, iii) being active in a political party, and iv) taking part in political discussions, is considered, a negative gender gap was observed, indicating that women lag behind men. This may be associated with their gender roles connected with family and home. Additionally, both men’s and women’s political activities mostly consist of taking part in political discussions. This is also the activity where maximum gender difference was observed. 

This study revealed that both men and women are displaying a declining trend in political activism over the years. Further, the level of education and income have an effect on non-electoral political activism. However, any significant difference in the way these two factors influence women’s and men’s political participation could not be detected by this study. 

As such, it is proposed to conduct further research that involves a broader qualitative analysis to find out the reasons behind these trends, which would provide a complete picture of gender differences in political participation. Yet, this study is worth receiving attention from policy makers, political scientists and even party leaders, in order to work towards gender equality in political participation in Sweden.