The Survey Center on American Life recently analyzed a Gallup poll that showed women between 18 to 29 were quickly identifying as liberal, and men at the same age were holding steady with 25-year trends. Analysts said 44% of young women now consider themselves level, but only 25% of men identify politically with the Left. It was the largest gender gap in the poll’s 24-year history.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, less than 30% of women said they were liberal. During the second term of President George W. Bush, the numbers expanded. In 2017, 39% of young women identified as being on the Left. Now, it’s up to 44%.
What was behind the women’s movement toward liberalism?
The #MeToo movement played a role. I can understand how someone would not want to be demeaned. No one should ever force another person to do something to gain professional opportunities. Everyone deserves an opportunity to advance in their careers based on merit, not sexual favors or pressures.
Yet, ask yourself, did the motives of bad men represent a political party or identity or were they just bad people?
Some say former President Donald Trump played a role in helping young women embrace the Left, especially as it relates to his own #MeToo moment. In Trump’s privately recorded bus conversation, he made profane comments and suggested he could do anything he wanted to a woman, which was a bridge too far. At that point, many checked out in repulsion. Many women didn’t want to hear anymore, and it was difficult to blame them.
The question is, did young women embrace liberalism because they believed liberalism has the best policies or because they identified conservatism with a person or group of people they saw as vile?
That’s an important question!
Here’s why… When asked by Gallup in 2020,
- 36% of Americans identified as conservative
- 35% as moderate
- 25% as liberal.
So, most of America is not liberal. Is there a chance that some, or even many, young women aren’t either?
If that’s the case, there is an opportunity for conservatives to win them over.
Conservatives should give women reasons to vote for them. In some instances, it may not be possible to do this on matters of principle. Some women simply won’t vote for a candidate of either gender who is pro-life regardless if a candidate’s other positions align perfectly with them. Most Republicans believe that’s a strong core value they won’t compromise on, and nor should they.
Still, Democrats have seized on the idea that the GOP threatens democracy and wants to take rights away. The fact is, conservatives aren’t the ones threatening to pack the Supreme Court because they don’t like a decision. They aren’t threatening to revoke the filibuster that’s been around for over a century and ensures the minority’s rights in the Senate. Conservatives aren’t attacking the free market enterprise that creates jobs, opportunities, and prosperity. Conservatives aren’t trying to flip society on its head, demean law enforcement, incentivize crime, or erode constitutional rights such as freedom of religion, speech, and expression.
Democrats have been doing these things. When conservatives try to restore balance, the Left attacks them for inhibiting progress. But is the results of their policies really progress?
Common sense isn’t as common as it once was, but reasonable people are still open to listening.
So, if you want to make a difference, you can inform yourself about basic civics, American history, and the issues important to you. You’ll find the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s all there. Despite some things that need to be corrected, is it worth throwing the baby out with the bath water? Isn’t what’s right about America worth preserving, protecting, and improving?
The founding fathers got it. The opening sentence in the Constitution challenges every generation to “form a more perfect union.” What that looks like is up to us.
Don Purdum. MPS, Political Analyst
Copyright 2022, ConservativeEra.com
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