The Gender Election

from The New York Times I'm Sabrina. tavernes and this is the. daily a dramatic new gender divide has. formed among the country's youngest. voters young men have drifted toward. Donald Trump while young women are. surging toward kamla. Harris as a result men and women under. the age of 30 once similar in their. politics are now farther apart than any. other generation ation of.

Voters today my colleague Claire Kane. Miller on a divide that is defining this. election it's Wednesday October. [Music]. 23rd Claire hi welcome back to the show. I'm glad to be here so you've been doing. a lot of reporting on young people and. you've identified something very. interesting among these young people and.

how they vote tell me about that. reporting yeah so I covered gender from. a data perspective and we started to see. something really surprising this. election cycle which is that the. difference between how young men and. young women are voting is really growing. much larger than it has been in the past. H and explain that what is that Gap look. like so in general women are more likely. to vote Democratic than men but in most.

age groups the difference is pretty. small among the youngest voters which. means 18 to 29 year olds it's really big. this time around bigger than for any. older age group young men are a small. majority of them planning to vote for. Donald Trump that has not necessarily. generally been true of young people the. majority of young people voted for Biden. no matter their gender right you think. of young people as being pretty. Progressive you do in general and they. are um this time polls are showing.

something different for young men just. over half of them appear to be voting. for Donald Trump meanwhile 2third or. more of young women are planning to vote. for kamla Harris which is a bigger share. than any other group by age or gender. interesting so you have this kind of new. Gap that was not true for young people. say a generation ago or even an election. ago and the Really fascinating thing is. that the biggest change has been among.

young women they have always leaned left. but just in the last 8 years they have. begun leaning left much more than they. had been before it's a really sharp rise. in their liberal identification which. political scientists told me you don't. really see this kind of change so. quickly among a group of people and it's. true of all young women there's no. difference by education even though. education usually affects how people.

vote there's no difference by race. really when you look at young women in. America today across categories they're. moving left and what about men so men. are moving somewhat to the right it's. been a little overblown this idea that. all young men are backing Trump but. there has been some movement to the. right men without college degrees who. finished high school or may have their. GED they're more likely to be backing. Trump got it so for women it's just. everybody but for men the change is.

happening really just among guys who. didn't go to college for the most part. okay so this is incredibly interesting. to me Claire as you know a former and. recovering demographics. reporter it's also kind of a mystery. right like what is going on here what is. driving this difference in this kind of. you know new demographic political. triggering if you will how did these two. groups come to be so far apart.

so when I saw this Gap in the voting. data I started thinking about a lot of. the reporting that I've done over the. years on how men and women are coming. into adulthood this 18 to 29y old age. range with really different experiences. and. expectations so so I'm Malachi Bowman. I'm 23 years old and I live in Fe. Arizona I'm Danielle Stevenson I'm 25 I.

live in Oakland California Daniel romad. leier Michigan 29 we decided to call a. bunch of Voters from around the country. ion Flores 29 years old I live in civo. Texas Allison Simpson I am 25 and I'm. from line Ohio Ranger Irwin Las Vegas. I'm 20 I did these interviews along with. Stella tan and Luke Vander plug two. daily producers are you planning to vote.

in this election yes so I'm already. registered I have my vot card do you. know who you're going to vote for yes. ma'am going to be Trump Donald Trump and. we focused on three young men voting for. Trump I definitely know I'm going to. vote for comma and three young women. voting for Harris and we realized that. the political outlooks we were seeing. were shaped by forces that started much. earlier in these voters lives in their. childhoods we realized there was a for. story.

here okay so let's talk about this. tectonic shift you're seeing in the. younger generation you said the change. really started from the very start when. these people were children tell me about. that so you've probably heard this. phrase kindergarten is the new first. grade and basically what that means is. that school has become much more. academic much earlier starting at 5 kids. are expected to sit still for longer to. learn to to read earlier to do.

assignments and this has really ended up. benefiting girls more than boys because. girls tend to mature earlier than boys. so they're more able to act like this in. kindergarten and that continues through. school and we really heard about this. from the young women that we interviewed. who were supporting Harris I mean I've. always really really loved School. honestly I've always loved learning I've. always been such a nerd School never. really was an issue for me you know when.

I was growing up there was this sense of. boys get called on more boys are better. than math girls need to stand up for. themselves and and that's really changed. it was just kind of a given that I was. going to go to college I never even. thought about not going to college girls. are outpacing boys in school it's true. in high school and college it's true as. early as kindergarten and their. opportunities in life the roles that. they can play really opened up from just. a couple Generations ago now they're. told they can do anything definitely I.

grew up very empowered it was girl power. women equality I was really bossy when I. was a kid and my dad told me to not let. people call me bossy that I was a leader. girls of this generation were raised in. the 9s and the 2000s and that was this. era of really building up girl. self-esteem I was always taught I could. do whatever I wanted to do they're being. told you can be a doctor you can be a. lawyer you can be an astronaut you can. be an engineer.

presid of the United States the world is. your oyster that's. right uh I was a very curious student um. I wasn't really disengaged like a lot of. my peers were of course some young men. really loved school they excelled at it. but some of the men we've talked to who. were voting for Trump um so I actually. struggled a lot in school I don't know I. always had so much energy and then I'd. be forced to sit down and shut up pretty. much they said they had a really hard. time in school it was just sitting for. eight hours in a room I just nothing.

about me melded with school and given. that school has become more academic. early on it is more challenging for some. boys their executive function comes. online a little bit later they can take. a little bit longer to develop that. ability to sit still to focus a long. time you know my parents be like oh boys. will be boys and I feel like that that. hasn't been around in a long time I I.

feel like it was on its way out whenever. I was younger and I feel like it's. pretty well gone nowadays and so the. message that boys are receiving is that. they're just not measuring up like all. all the teachers they try and force. College down your throat you know maybe. college has been for everyone and a lot. of them told me that they hadn't really. considered college or there were just so. many hurdles that it fell out of the. picture for them and that they were. eager to sort of get out of school and. get into some sort of work that allowed.

them to use their hands to do something. different and this is really showing up. in the data women are graduating from. high school at higher rates than men and. they're going to college and finishing. college at much higher rates too and I'm. assuming those worse educational. outcomes for men are also affecting. their job prospects right like that's. the next stage in our life cycle that's. absolutely true so in this same time. period it's become much harder to earn a.

middle class wage without a college. degree that's particularly true for men. because the jobs that men without. college degrees used to do that earned. them enough to support a family were. largely in manufacturing and these are. the jobs that since the 1980s have. really disappeared from the United. States in large numbers right they have. either been replaced by robots or. they've been sent abroad most of my. entire dad side of the family all has. worked for one of the big three and my.

dad's told me so many stories about like. once you turn 18 you go down to Detroit. in the factory and work till you get. your pension and a lot of the men that I. spoke to told me that their grandfathers. had worked in factories their whole. careers and stayed there and you know. supported a family and that they no. longer had an option like that it. definitely uh seemed like it was a lot. more straightforward back then where now. is less clear exactly what you want to. do and I called respondents from our New.

York Times Sienna college polls who were. young men who said they were supporting. Trump very interestingly to me I could. not see in that data what their jobs. were but nearly everyone I reached. worked in some sort of Auto job I align. Vehicles you painting cars bumping cars. either repairing cars or selling cars or. doing something like that and when I. asked them about it actually I I love my. job I probably could fix pretty much. anything on a car they said that they. felt like they had found jobs that were.

really good fits for them I mean just G. me something to focus on something to. pull my energy towards I'm a very. Hands-On person so like if I was like in. a classroom just sitting down reading. about this stuff I probably would not be. as proficient as I am with it and yet. the jobs that are growing in the. American Workforce right now are. so-called pink collar jobs they're. called that because these are the jobs. that women have traditionally done these. are mostly jobs in the healthcare sector. things like home health aids or nursing.

assistant it's been really really hard. to get men to do these fast growing jobs. they pay less there's a bit of a stigma. around them as women's work during uh. covid and stuff I did work as a nursing. assistant with my mom one of the men. that we interviewed told me that he he. did one of these jobs for a little bit. during the pandemic I hated it I I just. I'm not a people person it wasn't great. and he ended up you know in the end. going back to a job in the Auto industry.

so what did this amount to then for. these men when it came to their. pocketbooks and being able to buy stuff. and afford things so a lot of the men I. talked to and we've heard this. throughout this election said they were. worried about economic issues I feel. like it is ridiculously hard to buy. anything now like groceries are I'm just. I'm just in shock had it raised the. price of the Arizona te's it's kind of. sucks I think the last time I had to buy. eggs it was like six bucks gas is. expensive again G was at one time like.

$218 or something the other day I was. fing up I'm like dude almost $4 and5. dollars like what the heck and when I. dug into what that meant for them I. thought it was really interesting um. honestly as dumb as it sounds as long as. I make enough money to support myself. and my fiance and God willing us be able. to you know afford to have children. that's my goal what matters to me is one. day I provide for her family it should. be my job to provide for her and the. family it was they wanted to be able to.

provide for a family I should be able to. take care of her under one income and. her not have to work because I feel like. she shouldn't have to I feel like if she. wants to be stay help Mom she totally. can many of these men were had not yet. started families they were very young. but they had been raised believing that. that was their role in society I feel. like in the certain state that we're in. as a nation I feel like that's almost. impossible possible when it comes to the.

older generation like it's not the same. I don't think you could buy a house with. two blue bears and a nickel anymore you. know it was a dream of mine to own a. house and I feel like now I now I can't. and they felt that in this economy they. couldn't be providers I feel like I feel. like you're not a man until you know you. have to take care of other people people. to financially and emotionally support. those around you makes you a man and. that really seemed to strike at the core. of their identity I I've seen a lot in. my little 22 years of life I don't think. a driver's like. makes you a man I don't think serving.

time in the military makes you a man I. don't think doing hard rigorous work. makes you a man I think when you take. responsibility for others I think that's. what makes you a man to be honest right. it's like what it means to be a man. traditionally had been built around that. so what happens when you can't make the. money and that goes away yeah and so. much has changed in nearly half of. households with children women are the. primary bread winner or are the only.

bread winner they're single mothers it's. that's a huge change from just a few. decades ago the script for men really. changed maybe being the household. provider is not their main thing anymore. but they haven't been given a new script. they didn't feel like there was you know. a new way that they could contribute to. society being offered here so the. expectations that these young men have. are the same as previous generations but. the reality is different their reality.

has changed they can no longer meet. those expectations and as we know unmet. expectations are a principal ingredient. of political change that's right and. then enters Donald Trump talking about. providing an economy in which men can do. better than they are right now I feel. like Trump's going to really be able to. fix the issue we've been having with. trying to spend millions of dollars. elsewhere financially supporting Ukraine.

I feel like he's gonna really turn. around and focus on America when it. comes to tax breaks cting more taxes I. know especially for corporations I. really believe that it opens up a lot. more people to open up more business so. bring a lot more jobs over here and. Trump has this you know Super Macho. demeanor a lot of the men said I feel. like we were super strong under Trump. Vladimir Putin didn't invade Ukraine. until after Trump left they did think it. was important for a president to project.

strength on the world stage you know. against foreign adversaries and then we. have JD Vance you know he's a very smart. individual I feel like he seems like a. really well put together guy providing. this sort of return to traditional. families with men as Breadwinners and. women having lots of kids and taking. care of them and we have this ticket. offering these young men a script to. follow and that was really attractive to.

[Music]. them but the women that we interviewed. they had taken an entirely different. message from the last 8. [Music]. years we'll be right back. [Music].

so CLA you said that young women have. taken really an entirely different. message from the recent years tell me. about that what message did they take so. remember like we talked about this was. the era when girls were raised to. believe that they could do anything that. they could be anything there was almost. this idea that the work of feminism had. been done and equality had been achieved.

when did you personally start paying. attention to politics I would say in. 2016 definitely had my eyes opened in. college I think because of the 2016. election and then came 2016 which was. Donald Trump against Hillary Clinton I. was really really excited I always I. have always really liked Hillary Clinton. I think she's more than qualified she. articulates herself very well that felt. like a real moment where I had some.

ideas about yeah Justice and equality. and human rights and then seeing the. things that Trump was saying and how. people were responding to them at his. rallies made me feel very shocked and. concerned it was just the way that they. tore Hillary Clinton down of course we. all remember some of the things that. Trump said just things like she's a. disgusting vile woman people just. started really really hat on her it's.

not just trump it was the conservatives. in my life the way that they would talk. about her and insult her it was. disturbing to watch and there were the. Access Hollywood tapes some of the. things that he was saying about you know. grab her by the or like you can. say whatever to women and then Hillary. Clinton lost seeing Trump elected made. me realize oh no this is how most people. feel about you know women and people of. color in our country and that was really. dis using and in the interviews that we.

did with these young women they said. that was really a turning point for them. I was 17 that election I was becoming an. adult like literally about to turn 17 I. wasn't old enough to vote but I was old. enough to watch what was going on during. that election seeing things change in. such a huge way at this time definitely. opened my eyes politically and made me. understand that I had things to be angry. about and political science has shown us.

that what happens politically when. you're around 18 is really formative in. your views and this is what these women. experienced and then also me too I think. was a big moment soon after Donald Trump. was elected the me too movement happened. I personally identified with me too. because me too you know and I feel like. everyone I know has this story which was. of course spurred on by the revelations.

about Harvey Weinstein but led to this. realization that sexual harassment and. sexual assault in the workplace was. really quite common as a young girl with. a Twitter account it was really. grounding to understand that some of the. harassment maybe that I had experienced. even at a really young age wasn't just. something that I was experiencing and. the women that I talked to you know said.

that this continued to be this shock for. them seeing online oh this is something. that can happen to you at any age and. it's kind of just part of the experience. of being a woman you know they were. entering the real world they were. becoming adults at a time when it was. becoming extremely clear that in fact. sexism was not in the least a thing of. the past and that the world was not at. all the way that they were told it would. be okay so the next event in the. political calendar that is likely I. imagine to be meaningful to the women.

you talk to was the Dos abortion case. right June 2022 when the federal. protection for abortion went away and. you know I remember for years. interviewing young women and they didn't. really think that much about abortion or. talk that much about abortion but as. soon as row fell suddenly this was. really a big issue for them that's right. I'd write about roie Wade and history. books and kind of thought to myself wow. that's so crazy well that feels like.

just a given anybody can get an abortion. oh I was shocked to be honest I never. thought that it was actually on the. table seeing American history go. backwards was really. surreal this was the thing that took. them from their eyes being opened about. women's rights and the unfinished work. of feminism to really connecting it to. political activism like okay if the. president whoever was president got us. into this mess maybe the next president.

could get us out of it they told me that. this was the first time you know as. young adults that they realized who you. vote for could have a direct impact on. your rights the political climate. towards women is scary I feel like it's. kind it's an attack on women to be. completely honest with you and they said. it made them realize that as one woman. told me Donald Trump's words people. people sometimes say that he just talks.

and that he doesn't mean them and that. dos was a clear example of how words can. have real life effects and it also made. me think wow if we can roll this back. what else could change I really do think. like if we give them room to make more. decisions like they'll come after birth. control next as much as you know I. believe women are equal does the rest of. the world do the people in power feel. that way cuz it doesn't feel that away. right now they said that they had always.

been inclined to vote Democratic I've. definitely gone more and more to the. left but it had moved them much further. to the left my dad would say things like. okay well just wait you're going to. become more conservative the older that. you get and I'm like waiting because I'm. older and I feel more Progressive than I. was then at one point in time I would. probably take more of I wouldn't say. like a middle view but close to the. middle to where I could see the other.

party's point of view but at this point. in time no I I can't I can't with the. way that they have conducted themselves. it just pushed me further against what. the Republican Party. [Music]. believes and this is true on abortion. this is the Big Driver for them but. interestingly it's not just abortion or. the so-called women's issues they also. move to the left on climate they move to.

the left on guns they moveed to the left. on race relations dos was this turning. point that really made this generation. of young women more liberal than anyone. else in America today and do we know why. on those other things as well Claire why. is it such a clean sweep political. scientists say they're not exactly sure. once people really start to think about. their political identities they apply it. obviously not just to one issue up but. to more issues gun control activists um.

high schoolers a lot of that movement. was really led by women there is an idea. in general that men vote more on. economic issues and that women vote more. on issues that have to do with social. well-being and so that could be a reason. that climate and guns have also you know. become issues that young women are. focused on but really the political. scientist that I talked to who said it's. just evidence of the ways in which this.

group of people is moving to the left. across the board and KLA Harris is. presumably benefiting from this move yes. and the young women that I talk to. honestly I feel really excited to vote. for a woman for the first time she is. concerned about women's rights that's. like you know at the Forefront they had. felt so energized by these issues that. we've been discussing just getting on. Tik Tok seeing everyone ramped up they.

had not felt super energized by Joe. Biden they feel very differently about. kamla Harris I don't think that it had. felt that exciting since Obama to be. honest I do feel honestly just a bit. excited to be a part of. History okay so both parties are tapping. into these big social and economic and. cultural changes that are running deep. beneath the politics and given that this. is such a deep thing and that young. voters are so different now on the.

political front what does this mean for. these young people in their Futures yeah. it's really interesting young men and. young women are moving in different. directions diverging from one another in. a lot of ways it's politics it's. education it's religion men are more. likely than their female peers to go to. church now which is a surprising new. development it's media they're consuming. you know sometimes entirely different. media from different sources and so. they're really beginning to live sort of.

different lives in a lot of areas I mean. I don't use dating apps anymore but back. when I did have one I mean like the. amount of women that were like if you. voted for Trump don't even talk to me. and I'm like okay and we know that in. this era of increasing political. polarization people have become less. likely to date people who disagree with. them politically I think that even if.

you're a man who's voting for Trump only. for the economy you have to turn a blind. eye to a lot of other issues and I would. not date a man who thinks like that that. didn't Ed to be a thing it's becoming. more of a thing so I think it probably. does affect the way that they think. about who's going to be in their future. and how they form families and what. they're looking for from one another but. interestingly you know many of the young.

men we talked to said they were leaning. toward Trump because they thought he. would be better on the. economy and in part they were. prioritizing the economy as an issue. because they felt this need to be a. provider to buy a home you know these. things that were really bound up in. their sense of what they wanted for. themselves and I'm just curious what you. think of that. logic I understand it if I'm being. honest I'm trying to give the the boys a. little bit of Grace here thing is I'm.

deeply empathetic to it because I've. been taught that being a man means being. a provider men are taught like you bring. home more money you are head of. household some of the women that we. talked to said you know they were. empathetic to men's changing roles and. this notion that they had wanted to be a. provider and now they didn't know what. their role was if I really do like a. searching moral inventory I would. probably have to reckon with making more.

money than my partner that's just. something that I would need to get over. some of them acknowledged how. deep-seated some of these expectations. for men still were I think it's. important yeah for them to provide for. their family absolutely to be the sole. provider no and they told us that they. absolutely wanted Partners who would. contribute to the household but the. world is too modern now for the man to. have to be the provider I'll speak from. like my own personal experience right.

now I'm the main provider you know I I. make more than my partner and I don't. mind it at all I'm like you so pretty. it's okay the idea of being a Sole. Provider for a woman and their children. was outdated but you know they could see. where these men were coming from um my. fiance is conservative I roll oh. interesting yeah he's voting for Trump. some of the the young voters that we. interviewed were even in relationships.

with people voting for the opposite. candidate I do have a girlfriend she's a. liberal D liberal she is very pro-choice. she does not like Trump so our Dynamic. is super. weird we can't really talk politics to. be honest with you we try but I just I. can't see his point of. view are you dating anyone right now no. okay do you want to be dating someone oh. absolutely I'm very.

lonely so it's this very complicated. moment because we know that these. experiences you have and these beliefs. that form when you're coming of age. really do shape your views for the rest. of your life and so we could be looking. at a generation of women that continues. to be sort of more liberal than ever and. a generation of men that continues to be. figuring out what their place is in. American.

[Music]. society claa thank you thank you. [Music].

we'll be right. back here's what else you should know. today on Tuesday an Israeli strike near. lebanon's largest public Hospital killed. 18 people injured dozens and damaged the. hospital according to lebanon's health. Ministry Israel's military said that it. had targeted Hezbollah not the medical.

facility meanwhile Secretary of State. Anthony blinkin on his 11th trip to the. Middle East since the war with Hamas. began last year pressed Israeli Prime. Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to quote. capitalize on the killing of the Hamas. leader Yaya senoir and end the war in. the Gaza Strip Netanyahu in a statement. emphasized the need to fight Hezbollah. Hamas and Iran. but did not mention at.

truce and Michael Jeff the former. longtime chief executive of abian Fitch. was indicted on charges of running an. international sex trafficking scheme. during several years of his tenure at. the company the indictment includes. accusations from 15 people who said that. they had been coerced into sex acts it. echoes allegations first Unearthed last. year by a BBC inves ation and a class. action lawsuit accusing Jeff of using.

the prospect of modeling jobs at abomi. to exploit and abuse men Jeff and his. partner Matthew Smith were arrested in. Florida on. Tuesday today's episode was produced by. Stella tan AA chatra Luke vender plug. Diana win and Eric krupy with help from. Alex Stern it was edited by Lisa chow.

and Chris haxel with help from Paige. cowt contains original music by Marian. Lozano Rowan Nimo Dan Powell and Pat. mccusker and was engineered by Alyssa. Moxley our theme music is by Jim. brunberg and Ben lansberg of wonderly. [Music]. that's it for the daily I'm Sabrina.

Tavern see you tomorrow. [Music].