Abstract

The article is devoted to the formation of methodological tools for the study of social and political participation of women through a combination of conventional political analysis and gender approach. The analysis of Western scientific literature showed that the traditional political theory usually excluded women from the group of political subjects and attributed them to apolitical clusters. Consequently, the low level of women’s political participation and interest in politics were not considered a problem of scientific research. It is revealed that this problem has became the subject of scientific analysis of political science after the appearance of Gender Studies. Therefore, this methodological combination is determined by the subject of research because of two reasons: first of all, the issue of civil and political participation is the traditional problem of modern political science; secondly, in domestic political science in the analysis of social and political participation and representation there is almost no quantitative calculations based on sex. The use of gender approach makes it possible to rethink and expand the traditional concept of political science to cover personal, subjective experience, along with the public, political activity and to offer the solution of social problems from the equality standpoint. The gender approach is recognized as the most promising in combination with the traditional political analysis for further study of women’s social and political participation.