Politics and Knowledge by Lilly Ichiki

Politics is an integral topic relevant to most Americans’ everyday lives, whether it be local, state,
or national. The country was founded on political nature and how it plays in tune with the people
living in America. Additionally, Americans often have a bias based on how much political
knowledge someone possesses. A common misconception is that political knowledge is taught
in schools, or from the educational system, but for many people this is not the case. Not only is
it not enough to learn the basics of politics from a civic class, but political knowledge comes
from an intrinsic experience with politics, history, and how the decision-making in politics affects
our households individually. The reality is that racial and gender groups and backgrounds
significantly impact political knowledge.

In some instances, knowledge of politics boils down to the impact gender roles have when an
interest in politics is formed. Jennifer Wolak and Michael McDevitt explore the concept of a
political knowledge gender gap between men and women and why it persists. Wolak discovers
that despite women having a higher voting turnout than men, men score higher on tests
involving political knowledge. As for why, Wolak describes the impact of gender roles and
experiences cultivated out of childhood experiences “[leading] women and men [to] develop
different ideas about their political roles.” Because politics is perceived as a “man’s role,” women
are discouraged from pursuing politics and leaving the subject for men (Wolak).
Additionally, Wolak recognizes that this phenomenon often leaves women with decreased
confidence in what they do know about politics, being more likely to select the “don’t know”
option in political knowledge tests. Something as trivial as gender alone negatively impacts an
individual’s political knowledge and involvement.

I know from experience that because of my gender, educators have a bias as to who their
priority is in educating politics at a young age. In high school, I exhibited a heightened interest in
politics. However, my male government teacher never took my knowledge or opinions on the
subject seriously, effectively impacting my interest in politics as a career. It was not until after
graduation that I picked up on the interest again and went out of my way to expand my
education. Teachers may find that their resources are more valuable when focused on their
male students rather than their female students, as they believe in the higher likelihood that men will go on to do something with that education. The reality is all the bias does is discourage the other gender from pursuing political careers and education at all.

In addition to political knowledge being impacted by gender, race also influences an individual’s
knowledge of politics. Cathy J. Cohen and Matthew D. Luttig, two well-renowned political
scientists and two professors in the field, introduce the concept that direct experience and social
media allow Black Americans to develop political insight. The carceral state is the concept that
political knowledge is established by marginalized communities and their interactions with the
state (Cohen). It is important because it explains that Black Americans’ experiences in the
country are what truly develop their knowledge, rather than the traditional belief of what makes
political knowledge relevant or important. Cohen explains that it redefines the misconception
that Black Americans are less educated on the topic of politics, but rather their knowledge is
motivated by different instances.

Social media and the rise of technology actively reveals the carceral face of the government and no longer allows the mistreatment of people of color to go unnoticed or forgotten. With this in mind, Cohen contends that “because communities of color disproportionately experience and witness violence, […] these communities have a greater knowledge of the carceral state, and are highly politically knowledgeable.” Political knowledge and the parameters of what knowledge varies from the personal experience of different races. While white people score higher on knowledge tests than Black people, Cohen expresses that this result is that “knowledge differences may be an artifact of measurement rather than underlying differences between groups in factual information that is encoded and available in long- term memory.” Because of the experiences Black Americans have with the state and the government, their relationship with politics influences them to view the state as a threat and fundamentally impacts their measurement of knowledge.

When discussing political knowledge, it is often with the typical liberal-democratic definition of
participation. What is often left out, is the societal impact on marginalized groups and gender
roles. No longer is it as simple as answering questions on a test disregarding the nuance of
history and experience, as it does not correctly address the differences among people and their
treatment. It is because of the uniqueness of outside contributors fostered from society and the
state itself, gender and race influence knowledge on politics.

Works Cited
Cohen CJ, Luttig MD. “Reconceptualizing Political Knowledge: Race, Ethnicity, and Carceral
Violence.” Perspectives on Politics. 2020;18(3):805-818. doi:10.1017/S1537592718003857

Wolak, Jennifer, and Michael McDevitt. “The Roots of the Gender Gap in Political Knowledge in
Adolescence – Political Behavior.” SpringerLink, Springer US, 6 Oct. 2010,
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11109-010-9142-9#Sec1. Accessed 02 Mar. 2025.