Investigate what is shaping the gender gap in the 2024 Election and why are men and women so divided.

Harris currently holds a 16-point advantage among likely female voters, while former President Trump enjoys an 11-point lead with likely male voters. All signs suggest the current polarizing political beliefs surrounding gender continue as debates between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump escalate. Class and sociocultural status have become the forces uniting each party’s coalition, adding another layer of uncertainty to a contest already on a knife’s edge.

The gender debate in the 2024 election is yet another result of polarization of the Culture War, as both sides swing to opposite extremes in political stances. Donald Trump’s recent promise to be the protector of female voters emphasizes his determination to solidify support from voters who hold conservative views on gender roles and traditional family structure. While Trump reinforces the importance of “protection” and “physical security” of women, his choice of language reflects an orthodox and hierarchical conception of gender roles. For example, the former president claims that women will “no longer be abandoned, lonely, or scared…women will be healthy, happy, confident and free.” His words paint women as vulnerable beings and men as the ultimate “protector,” tapping into the symbols of traditional masculinity. In doing so, Trump inadvertently reveals his deeply-entrenched opinion that men are patriarchs of the family who hold absolute executive power. 

Trump’s stance offers an insight into traditional political dynamics, where the public sphere continues to favor male dominion. This political standpoint, however, risks alienating a broad array of voters who favor social changes, particularly regarding the growing independence of women. Many college-educated and employed female voters will likely resist conventional expectations associating them with vulnerability. 

Democrats take an equally polarizing stance on gender, exacerbating existing gender divides and hindering potential compromises. Kamala Harris, a female leader with an immigrant family background, draws on her personal experience to appeal to female voters. She uses topics of contention such as abortion to point out the deficiencies in Donald Trump’s policies that disrespect women in ongoing debates. Indeed, the debate surrounding gender has shifted from a general concern for promoting women’s welfare to a tool for consolidating support and morally criticizing the opponent—both sides leverage gender-related issues as their political stratagem.

One crucial aspect of debate centers on reproductive rights, fueled by the Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, is a landmark decision by the supreme court to grant states more power to regulate abortion. Statistics of exit polls show that the gender gap widened dramatically from 7 point in 2004 to 12 points in 2020, substantiated by Trump’s 15-point loss among female voters, which is a drop from 57 percent to 42 percent. Polling ahead of the 2024 election signals even further divides as Trump continues to lose support from women voters. The most recent New York Times polls in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin reveal that 55 percent of registered men support Trump compared to a mere 39 percent of women. With regards to abortion, 23 percent of the women registered in nation-wide polls have listed it as “the most important issue in deciding their vote in November.” Abortion rights are a test of democracy for women, as they fight for their control over their body. Few would be willing to give up this freedom, submitting to patriarchal social expectations. 

But what other factors are making men and women so divided? One possible answer is humans’ innate desire for power and autonomy. Surveys have revealed that one of the central fault lines between men and women is whether gender provides an unfair advantage in American society. “Sixty-eight percent of Democrats believe that men have it easier in America today, a view shared by only 32 percent of Republicans.” It is all a matter of perspective. Throughout history men have enjoyed their privilege of ruling, whether it is a patriarch of a tribe or the emperor of a kingdom-they have been so unused to being questioned. Until the late nineteenth century they started to sense their position being challenged by the suffrage movement and felt insecurity and threat. As women gradually gained more power and authority, men thought their power was being challenged, while women asserted their right to fight for their own freedoms. 

It’s no coincidence that the tense dispute surrounding gender reveals the unchanging political dynamics where both men and women desire advantages and privileges. Fueled by both parties' flaming rhetoric in the election, polarization of policies and gender divides will continue to escalate, and it’s only a matter of time before this heated debate boils over.

Lucy Wu