Despite the progress made in terms of gender equity in Latin America, there is still a significant gender gap in political participation. The literature has focused in the understanding of politics as an occupation, side-stepping the relationship of common citizens with the political environment. The present paper evaluates the determinants of the political participation in Latin America, analyzing men and women separately. The results suggest that occupation, income and marital status are associated with female political participation while the trust in male leaders and living in an urban region determine male participation.