It’s not news that young people are further on the left of the political spectrum than older generations.
Of unique interest now is that the movement to the left is more disproportionate among young women than young men.
As a nation we should know this is happening and try to understand why.
Women, traditionally, have been the stabilizing cultural influence in chaotic times. It is women who have brought children into the world and raised them when men have not been reliable fathers and heads of households.
But consider data from a recent Pew Research survey.
Per the survey, our young people are less inclined than in previous generations to marry and have children.
Among those ages 18–24, 7 percent are now married compared to 18 percent in the same age group 20 years ago in 1993.
In the age group 25–29, 29 percent are now married compared to 50 percent in the same age group in 1993.
However, in this survey, when young unmarrieds in the age group 18–34 were asked if they want to marry someday, 72 percent of men said yes, and 69 percent of women said yes.
When they asked those 18–34 with no children if they want children someday, 57 percent of men said yes, and 45 percent of women said yes.
Getting married, having children and building a family reflect personal values. So along with these trends in marriage and children, it is not surprising that we find results in a survey done at the American Enterprise Institute with the headline “Young Women Are Leaving Church in Unprecedented Numbers.”
Per this survey, 54 percent of Gen Z (those born 1997–2012) adults who left their religion were women; 46 percent were men.
Disaffiliation from religion has always been higher among men than women. The same survey reports the following among young adults leaving religion: Millennials (born 1981–1996), 53 percent men compared to 47 percent women; Gen X (born 1965–1980), 55 percent men compared to 45 percent women; Baby Boomers (born 1955–1964), 57 percent men compared to 43 percent women.
What’s driving the shift to more young women disaffiliating from religion than young men?
Per the same survey, 61 percent of Gen Z women identify as “feminist.” And 65 percent of women ages 18–29 disagree with the statement “most churches and religious congregations treat men and women equally.”
All this has not surprising fallout in the political arena.
A new Gallup poll reports the average percent of women ages 18–29 identifying as “liberal/very liberal” over the period 2017–2024 was 40 percent. The same age group of women over the period 2001–2007 identifying “liberal/very liberal” was 28 percent. So, the percentage of women identifying as liberal/very liberal increased 12 points.
However, over the same time periods, there was no change in percentage of men 18–29 identifying “liberal/very liberal.” Over 2001–2017 it was 25 percent, and over 2017–2024 it was 25 percent.
The difference in percentage of women identifying liberal/very liberal compared to men increased from 3 points in the 2001–2007 period to 15 points in the 2017–2024 period.
In that same Gallup survey, the percent of women saying that “abortion should be legal under any/almost all circumstances” increased 18 points over the two time periods. The percentage that said that the environment should be prioritized over economic growth increased 19 points.
However, the percentage of young women who said they are worried about energy availability and affordability declined 11 points of the two periods; the percentage who said they are worried about federal spending and deficits declined 14 points; and worried about the economy declined 16 points.
The moral relativism and hedonism of modern culture have taken root more strongly in our young women than among our young men.
It does not point to healthy future for our nation, and it behooves us to try to understand what is driving this trend to do something about it.
