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The Gen Z Political Divide and it's future implications

Nov 18, 2024

6 min read

an image of a male and female icon divided by a crack and barb wire, symbolizing the division of gender in the modern day. — The division between Men and Women | Source: Thought Digest Media/Internal

Over the last 13 years there has been an increase in political division between Gen Z men and women from all around the world from the Anglosphere to Asian countries such as South Korea and Japan. This division is considered one of the most unexpected and drastic changes in western political history, where women are becoming more progressive, while men are leaning more conservative. This isn't exclusively a generational issue, as gender and political division has increased over time from Millennials and was first observed in the 1990s by Ronald Inglehardt and Pippa Noris. There should be a distinction made that there are in fact 3 gender gaps that exist.

The first which is know as the "Traditional Gender Gap" spanning from 1945 to the early 80s which was a period where men were actually more progressive than women, while women remained conservative. The other is what's known as the "Modern Gender Gap" where women identified as being somewhat more progressive than men, spanning from the 1980s to the early 2020s. While the one in discussion for today is the so called "Gen Z Gap" which suggests Gen Z women are much more progressive than young men.

The Australian Election Study found that only 24.3% of Millennials born between 1980 and 1994 – including 21.9% of men and 25.7% of women – voted for the Coalition (Australia's Centre-Right political grouping) in 2022, while around 38% of Millennials voted Labor in the 2022 Australian Federal Election. While it is clear there is a divide in the modern gender gap in Australia as well, it is hard to say for certain whether this divide has been driven by women becoming more progressive or men becoming more conservative and responses from either side will raise a variety of supporting points.

The publicity of Gen Z divide has driven reactions over social media for the last 12 months, and has resulted in further widening of the gap, with the largest changes occurring in the UK, and the notable exception of the division trend in South Korea, where young men have become 30% more conservative over the last decade. The general points made is that conservatives blame the gap due to excessive "identity politics" and the "modern feminism" movement, while progressives blame the divide on "toxic masculinity" and "anti-feminism/misogyny".

South Korean No. of Marriages | Source: Statistics Korea

Some experts and political commentators believe the political polarization between men and women is contributing to a decline in marriages and fertility rates across the western world. In regards to South Korea, over the same timespan there has been a sharp decline in both marriages and the fertility rate, dropping from 1.48 in 2000 to 0.78 in 2022.

According to Patrick Emmenegger, a researcher at the University of St Galen, Switzerland one of the greatest drivers of the modern gender gap was the secularization of society over time. During the 20th century women on average were more religious than men, and due to religion in that time period often determining voting patterns resulted in women generally voting more conservative. according to the study, it suggests due to the demise of western Christianity and fall of religion determining voting behavior in the late 20th century resulted in more women shifting left. In regards to the Gen Z political divide, for the first time in history women attend church services less than their male counterparts, with 40% of Gen Z women claiming to be religiously unaffiliated, compared to 34% of men according to Ruth Graham. The argument for this divide according to Daniel Cox is that "women do not believe the church treats men and women equally".

Over the course of a week, the Thought Digest Media team asked some progressive and conservative young people based in Australia some questions as to why we have a gender divide in this country.

Q1: Do you think a majority of women identify as progressive/left wing, if so why?

A1: Yes definitely. I think it is likely due to the increasing politicization of women’s health issues such as abortion. I also think it is more so because conservative social policy often benefits men over women. - Anonymous (Progressive Male Respondent).

A2: "Polling data has shown women, particularly younger women, are more likely to identify with progressive or left-wing ideologies compared to men. I think this may be attributed to several factors such as women are often more affected by policies related to healthcare, education, reproductive rights, and social welfare, they typically have more empathy and typically have higher educations where there is a focus on progressive politics. The recent US election, however, saw a more interesting divide. Those who were married typically voted Republican, while those who were not, voted Democrat. I think perhaps, the male influence, as well as the pragmatic requirements of looking after a household shifts women away from idealism to a more practical approach." - Anonymous (Conservative Female Respondent)

Q2: according to a guardian poll on gender division, many male respondents stated they "do not care" and are not interested in politics, do you believe this is a problem, why/why not?

A1: Yes I absolutely believe that’s a problem. I think that any level of political apathy is an issue as politics impacts every aspect of everyone’s lives and the more people that are politically engaged, the more successful our system of democracy is. It’s especially concerning for a large portion of our population, particularly of any certain gender or class, to be politically unengaged. - Anonymous (Progressive Male Respondent).

A2: "Male disinterest in politics can undermine democracy by skewing representation and policy-making. When one gender dominates political discourse, it risks reinforcing stereotypes and framing politics as a "gendered" space. Additionally, men's disengagement may leave issues affecting them, such as mental health, education, and employment, underrepresented. However, what I believe to be more concerning is the reason for male disinterest. I think there has been significant alienation from the toxic political climate and cultural attitudes. The ‘Left’ views all masculinity as toxic, has DEI which directly harms males, especially those who are white, and pushes more traditional gender roles to be eradicated under the guise of feminism or gender equality. Of course, this would lead to political apathy or moving to the ‘Right’. I think this is far more of a concern than a disinterest in politics." - Anonymous (Conservative Female Respondent)

Q3: What do you think is to blame for the increase in the Gen Z Political divide?

A1: "MAGA-style messages appeal to a better past in a way that works for young men (50s-style economic growth sounds great) but can be quite repellent to women, who are quite aware that their whole vision for their own lives only became normal in the last several decades. Young women are keenly aware that their normal is a recent political achievement. When right-wingers talk about returning to better times, they know that at least some of them want them to go back to much, much worse times and they worry young men will sign up for that and not even notice, or know why it's wrong. In addition for a heterosexual majority, it is easy to blame the other gender which has likely worsened the Gen Z divide and things such as the dating scene." - Oscar Wadsley (Progressive Male Respondent)

A2: "I believe the political divide in Gen Z partly stems from their stage in life, as most have not yet married - a factor often linked to shifts in political outlook. Additionally, social media algorithms fuel polarization by creating echo chambers, where individuals encounter content that reinforces their beliefs. Gen Z has grown up amid heightened awareness of social justice, climate change, and identity politics, which spark strong and divisive opinions. Many also challenge the values of older generations, while some push back against the perceived dominance of progressive culture among their peers." - Anonymous (Conservative Female Respondent)

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