Once integrated into public life, women often favor different forms of political participation than men, gravitating toward local, private, and less confrontational activities. Men, by contrast, are more active in collective mobilization and party politics. Although previous research offers several hypotheses to explain these gendered patterns, it remains unclear which specific features of political action drive these preferences. Is it the time commitment, the level of conflict, the type of organization initiating the action, the visibility, or the institutional context? To address this question, we implemented a choice-based conjoint experiment within a large-N survey of the Spanish population in July 2023. Respondents chose between pairs of hypothetical political actions, allowing us to identify which action characteristics are more appealing to women or men. This paper introduces a new methodological approach to dissecting gender gaps in political behavior. It also provides initial evidence that short and local actions are generally preferred, with a stronger association among women. Furthermore, gender differences become more pronounced as individuals acquire adult roles.