The growing Gen Z gender divide reshaping politics

A dramatic political chasm has emerged among Generation Z voters worldwide, with young men and women increasingly diverging in their political allegiances. This trend came into sharp focus during the 2024 US presidential election, where Donald Trump secured a striking 14-point advantage among men aged 18-29, while Kamala Harris captured young women’s votes by an 18-point margin.

This gender-based political divide extends far beyond American borders, the Guardian reports. In South Korea’s 2022 presidential election, young voters showed a remarkable 25-point gender gap in support for the conservative People’s Power party. Germany has witnessed similar patterns, with young men twice as likely as their female counterparts to support the far-right AfD party.

Dr Alice Evans, a senior lecturer at King’s College London, attributes this global phenomenon partly to a backlash against gender equality initiatives. A 2024 Ipsos study revealed this generational shift: while baby boomers showed minimal gender differences in their views on traditional roles, Gen Z displayed an 11-point gap between men and women on questions about gender equality.

A growing trend towards gender-based media consumption is accelerating this divide. Popular platforms like Joe Rogan’s podcast, which claims an 80 per cent male audience according to YouGov, show how digital media has created separate cultural spheres for young men and women. Trump’s 2024 campaign strategy capitalised on this trend, focusing heavily on male-dominated podcast appearances with hosts like Rogan, Logan Paul, and Theo Von.

These patterns have manifested dramatically in various national elections. Poland’s far-right Confederation, despite its overall underperformance in 2023, found its strongest support base among young men while promoting explicitly anti-feminist positions.

Experts suggest that addressing this growing polarisation requires fundamental changes in social infrastructure. Evans calls for phone bans in schools and increased investment in youth centres to foster greater interaction between young men and women. “If young people spend more time with the opposite sex, become friends and form relationships, they will start to see just how much they could have in common,” she told the Guardian.

The deepening gender divide among young voters poses significant challenges for democratic societies, which must find solutions to bridge this chasm.