Confidence, Not Capacity: Gender Differences In Political Efficacy Among Licensed Social Workers

Background / Rationale

Political participation is a core ethical responsibility of social workers and a critical mechanism for advancing social justice, yet engagement remains uneven across the profession. While social workers report higher levels of political participation than the general public, participation often emphasizes low-intensity activities, and confidence in political impact varies. Prior research across disciplines suggests that gender differences in political efficacy shape how individuals perceive their role in political systems, even when participation levels are similar. Within social work, this distinction remains underexplored. Grounded in the Civic Voluntarism Model and political efficacy theory, this study conceptualizes political efficacy as a form of professional resilience that sustains advocacy across shifting political and policy contexts. Understanding gendered patterns of efficacy is essential for preparing social workers to engage ethically and persistently in political action.

Methods

Data were drawn from a national, self-administered survey of licensed social workers conducted between 2017 and 2018. A random sample was drawn from licensure lists in 24 states, yielding 2,350 completed responses. The survey included 85 items measuring political activity, political efficacy, political knowledge, political socialization, ideology, educational encouragement for political engagement, practice context, and demographic characteristics. Political activity was assessed using a 30-item scale adapted from Rome and Hoechstetter (2010). Multivariate regression models were employed to examine whether gender predicted political activity and whether gender differences existed in political efficacy and political knowledge, controlling for education, practice orientation, political ideology, and demographic factors.

Results

Gender was not a significant predictor of political activity among licensed social workers when controlling for contextual variables. Men and women reported comparable levels of engagement across political behaviors. However, gender emerged as the strongest predictor of political efficacy. Men reported significantly higher confidence that their political participation mattered, even though their level of participation did not exceed that of women. Political efficacy, political education during social work training, macro practice orientation, organizational membership, and liberal political ideology were significant predictors of political activity. Political knowledge did not differ by gender and was primarily associated with political efficacy. These findings indicate that disparities in confidence, rather than participation or competence, characterize gendered political engagement in social work.

Conclusions

This study highlights political efficacy as a critical, and unevenly distributed, dimension of professional resilience within social work. While women participate politically at rates comparable to men, lower confidence in political impact may affect sustainability, leadership, and willingness to engage in higher-stakes political action. Social work education must move beyond skills-based political instruction to intentionally cultivate political efficacy through applied advocacy experiences, critical reflection, and confidence-building pedagogies. Centering political efficacy in curricula strengthens professional identity and prepares students to engage in ethical, resilient political practice amid contemporary structural and policy challenges.