Right-wing boys and progressive girls: war of the sexes?

Partners:

While there has been much recent focus on the rise of ‘far right’ boys, the progressive inclinations of young women rarely get as much attention. Young men and women had similar outlooks 20 years ago. But an article in The Economist last year on surveys of political attitudes noted that ‘in 2020, young men were only slightly more likely to describe themselves as liberal than conservative, with a gap of just two percentage points. Young women, however, were much more likely to lean to the left than the right, with a gap of a massive 27 percentage points. In all the large countries we examined, young men were more conservative than young women.’

In the UK, an article for the John Smith Centre observes: ‘Young women were almost twice as likely to vote Green than young men. The reversal is true for Reform UK: young men were twice as likely to vote for Reform UK than young women.’

What’s going on? Young men may have been put off progressive politics, which took a vigilant stance fighting against misogyny and sexual harassment. Perhaps young men felt excluded and ‘left behind’ – a tendency compounded by conservative online ‘echo chambers’ complaining about the perceived loss of opportunities caused by women’s advancement. Meanwhile, more educated women fought passionately against a system that doesn’t serve them. But how does that explain women’s greater attachment to other causes, from environmental issues to trans rights?

Yet perhaps things are already changing. In June 2025, Politico argued that Reform UK is gaining traction within Gen Z women, with support rising among women aged 18 to 26 jumping from 12 per cent to 21 per cent. Yet, despite the right gaining traction among some women, the gender divide seems to be growing. An Ipsos survey showed that 60 per cent of Gen Z men believe that they are expected to do too much to support gender equality, compared to 38 per cent of women – the largest gender gap between all generations surveyed.

With political polarisation looming large, can Gen Z build relationships across the gendered divide? How can you enjoy dinner and a glass of wine from opposite ends of the ideological table? Can young women and men be compatible if they have lost their shared morals and values or is the purpose of relationships to narrow this gap? Are there innate ideological differences between men and women? How different really are their political priorities?