A staggering 66 percent of Democrat women between the ages of 18 and 29 believe that the challenges women face in American society are “in a great deal due to the behavior or actions of men,” according to a new Survey Center poll that reveals a deep ideological divide among young American women.
The findings paint a stark picture of how third-wave feminism continues to shape the worldview of younger generations, particularly among those who lean left politically. Republican women in the same age bracket see things very differently. Only 18 percent of conservative women ages 18 to 29 agree that men are responsible for women’s challenges.
That’s a gap of nearly 50 percentage points between young women of different political persuasions.
The pattern holds across older age groups, though the numbers shift somewhat. Among Democrat women ages 30 to 49, a majority of 54 percent still blame men for the challenges women face. Their Republican counterparts? Just 23 percent hold that view.
Even among older Democrat women, the sentiment remains strong. Forty-seven percent of those ages 50 to 64 point the finger at men, and 48 percent of Democrat women 65 and older do the same. Republican women in those age ranges continue to disagree at much lower rates.
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Regarding men, the survey found something telling. When asked whether women were to blame for the troubles men face in society, only 16 percent of men agreed. Even young Republican men, who were more likely than their Democrat counterparts to assign blame to women, came in at just 26 percent.
The poll arrives at a time when cultural conversations around gender, family, and work continue to dominate the national conversation. A separate August survey from the Economist and YouGov examined how American women think about their own life choices, specifically whether they’d prefer a career or caring for family at home.
The results showed American women are genuinely split on the question. When asked which they would choose if both options were available, 43 percent of women said they would pursue a career outside the home. Another 43 percent said they would choose to stay home and care for their family. Just 14 percent were unsure.
Among all respondents to that survey, a plurality of 47 percent said they would choose a career, compared to 37 percent who preferred staying home with family.
Democrat women, however, leaned more heavily toward career ambitions. Fifty-two percent said they would choose work outside the home over staying home to care for their families.
The generational divide is also worth noting. While a majority of young Democrat women blame men for their challenges, that number drops to the high 40s among those 50 and older. Whether that reflects changing attitudes with age or generational differences in how feminism has been taught and absorbed remains an open question.
This article originally appeared on American Faith and is reposted with permission.
