There is extant literature on political participation as an age-related process, based on learning and experience. Yet, only recent literature has explored the interaction between age and gender thoroughly, as well as how life cycle influences women and men differently. Previos work shows that the gender gap in political interest, political knowledge and political behaviour increases with adulthood. The next step is to identify the mechanisms by which gender gaps enlarge or even appear. Becoming an adult might demotivate women in the political world due to the stereotypes embedded in politics as a ‘male world’. The expectation that can be delved is that classic stereotypes in which boys and girls are socialized become relevant with their start up in politics. An alternative, or an additional mechanism, would refer to the effect of the still unequal distribution of unpaid care work and the difficulties that particularly women encounter to balance life and work. Understanding how these processes work – and the interplay between them – is of major relevance, especially in times of COVID-19, when family life and unpaid care work required much reorganization within the families, and for the local and national contexts.