Oct 12, 2020
Younger Women Voters vs. Older Women Voters: Their Impact
The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote, and the power of women’s voices has increased since then. Women are a focal group of voters that are not to be underestimated. The group can be divided between younger women voters and older women voters. They both have similarities and differences when it comes to voting and other aspects in the political arena.
Women have outvoted men for many years. According to Pew Research (2020), “In every U.S. presidential election dating back to 1984, women reported having turned out to vote at slightly higher rates than men, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data by the Center.” Women see the impact they have when they vote, and they are using their vote to make sure that the issues that affect them the most will be heard. When young women and older women vote they are voting to make sure that their needs and wants are not forgotten.
Even though women are on the same page when it comes to going out and voting, they are not always unified in who they will vote for and what party affiliation they will support. Young women and older women have different beliefs, opinions, and experiences. Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (2020) found that younger women are typically concerned with issues such as racial injustice and women’s rights. However, an American Association of Retired Persons (2019) poll shows that older women are more concerned with issues like the economy and healthcare. The generational political divide leaves a gap among the women.
The younger generation of women are reported to lean more towards the Democratic Party. Pew Research (2018) reported that “A large majority of Millennial women (70%) identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party”. The Democratic Party has increased the amount of women that lean towards or openly identify with their party in the past three generations. Politico (2020) quotes Mary Anne Marsh stating “The energy in the Democratic Party has been women from the day Donald Trump claimed victory”.
The older women in the baby boomer generation are more divided in their political alignments. According to Pew Research (2018) from 1994–2017 the amount of Baby Boomer women who lean towards the Democratic Party increased from 46% to 53%, while the amount of women who lean towards the Republican Party decreased from 43% to 41%. Baby Boomer women are divided among political parties, with a slightly higher percentage of women who lean towards the Democratic Party versus the younger women that have a larger support for the Democratic Party. The Hill (2020) comments on older women voters explaining that “While they represent just under 19 percent of the U.S. population, these women accounted for 30 percent of all Americans votes cast in the 2018 midterm elections.”
Although younger women and older women may have different values they are not divided on the choice to be politically active. Women are using their right to vote to further who they want to see in office, which is more women. According to a CBS News Poll (2018), “Majorities of both younger and older women think it’s very or somewhat important to have more women in political office.” In 2018, there were a significant number of women running for office. Eligible women voters showed their support for them in their wave of voting. Pew Research (2019) discovered that 55% of registered women voters went out and voted in the 2018 midterms.
Women made their voices heard in the midterms about what they thought of President Trump’s leadership resulting in the Democrats taking back the House. Voting is just one way that women have participated in the political realm.
Women have conducted protests to show just how powerful they can be. The Women’s March in 2017, the March for Our Lives protests, and the #MeToo movement are just some of the demonstrations that women have been tied to.
In recent years, women have shown the impact that they have. Younger women and older women may have different principles, but when women come together there is power in their voices.
