Modernisation and government socialisation: Considering explanations for gender differences in cohort trends in British voting behaviour

• Changes to the gender gap in British voting behaviour are examined.
• The lack of an overall gender gap hides considerable gender gaps within birth cohorts.
• Men are more supportive of the party that was in power during their formative years, but this is not the case for women.
• The gender difference in response to government socialisation produces different gender gaps for different birth cohorts.

The lack of an overall gender gap in British voting behaviour hides considerable gender gaps within birth cohorts. This is not due to a gradual realignment of the gender gap related to modernisation, but instead to a gendered process of government socialisation. Men are especially supportive of the party that was in power during their formative years, particularly if it was in power for a sustained period of time. This is not consistently the case for women, and this gender difference produces political generations not only characterised by higher support for the party in power during their youth but also by gender gaps in voting behaviour.