Newsletter:Newsletter November 27, 2024

Why Fear Governs So Many of the Choices Single Young Women Make

Daniel A. Cox

Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election decisively. He improved among most voting groups. But there is one group of voters who still roundly rejected him—single young women—even as their male peers moved decidedly in his direction.

Even as the country shifted toward Trump—including a 10-point shift among single young men—single young women remained firmly Democratic. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of young single women supported Harris, while only about one in three (35 percent) voted for Trump. A majority of their single male peers supported Trump, leaving a yawning 20-point gap in the voting preferences of young singles.

President-elect Donald Trump would be an obvious explanation. Single young women find Trump uniquely repellant. More than six in ten single young women have a negative view of Trump, including 55 percent who report a “very unfavorable” opinion of him. Among single young men, only 37 percent have a very unfavorable view of Trump.

The trend, however, runs much deeper than the next president. The politics, and the personal preferences, of single young women are increasingly defined by fear.

The #MeToo Generation

In many ways, the MeToo movement was a sign of progress. It represented a step toward greater accountability for perpetrators of sexual harassment and assault, as well as an avenue of empowerment for women. But for many single women, feelings of vulnerability and insecurity grew in the wake of the MeToo movement. After the movement, more single young women reported being dissatisfied with the way women were treated in American society. Fears of sexual assault rose dramatically. In 2017, 39 percent of women under 50 reported that they were worried about being sexually assaulted occasionally. By 2023, a majority (55 percent) of women under 50 reported being at least sometimes concerned about sexual assault.

Not only are many single young women feeling a greater sense of vulnerability, they are less confident in institutions that traditionally provide security and stability. Many single women perceive practices such as marriage, parenthood, and religion as potential threats to their autonomy and sense of self.

When the New York Times talked with high school students from around the country about the subject of marriage, responses ranged from excited to ambivalent. But many teen girls shared a sense of anxiety about what marriage might mean for their personal plans and goals for the future.

Hannah of Lubbock, Texas, expressed this view: “A huge argument against marriage is the loss of personal freedom.”

Morgan of Hinsdale, Illinois, worried about its impact on her career ambitions: “I do have dreams of getting married one day, but it scares me. A lot. I have many ambitions in life, but I do feel that sometimes they contradict each other. I want to complete graduate school, attend medical school, and become a psychiatrist.”

Polls have shown a growing suspicion of marriage, and young women are increasingly questioning who marriage benefits the most. It’s not simply that marriage is seen as outdated or unnecessary, single women believe that the institution is far better for men than for women. Last year, I wrote about a remarkable finding that showed that a majority of women (53 percent) said married men are happier than other men, but only 32 percent said that married women are happier. Earlier this year, our research found that nearly half (47 percent) of single young women believe that single women are happier than married women.

In an interview with Insider, New Yorker Carmindy Bowyer articulated the belief that a great deal of single women share: “If you are a man, you should probably get married; if you are a woman, don’t bother.”

Not only are single women less interested in marriage, but fewer have a desire to become parents. Pew found that less than half (45 percent) of single women said they eventually want children someday. A majority (57 percent) of single young men said this is an important life goal.

For single young women, abstaining from parenthood and marriage can seem like the safer bet.

What Does This Mean for Politics and Society?

In large part, the mistrust felt by many single young women stems from concerns about losing their autonomy and independence. These concerns were further heightened with the demise of Roe v. Wade, and what the decision meant for women’s reproductive autonomy, including access to IVF and birth control. But these anxieties are also reinforced in media stories that paint a grim picture of marriage and parenthood, and on social media where posts about lazy or inept husbands receive millions of views. In a recent survey, we found that more than seven in ten (72 percent) young women said they at least occasionally come across social media posts featuring women complaining about their husbands or boyfriends.

Unfortunately, politics is pushing single young women and men to opposite extremes. In the aftermath of the election, the phrase “your body, my choice” ricocheted around the Internet, playing into the real fears that many young single women have. The days following the election also saw a surge of interest in the 4B movement—calling women to swear off marriage, pregnancy, dating and sex with men.

The 2024 election revealed a growing fault line between single men and women. It’s just one election, and we ought to be careful not to overstate its meaning. But the different political choices made by single men and women reflect wider, distinctive concerns they have that will endure long after Trump’s inauguration. These fears will continue to influence not only how single young women vote, but the decisions they make when it comes to marriage and parenthood.

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