Bad News for the Left: Yet Another Way Men and Women are Different
In 1992, a book was published entitled, “Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus.” The idea, was to illustrate the point that, not only are men and women obviously physically different, but that they view and behave differently in relationships because their brains were wired differently as well. It was a best-seller. Did we actually learn that our brains are different as well as our bodies, or did all those people that bought the book read it then toss it aside? The likely answer is yes to the latter, but as the transgender movement is telling us, without wanting to tell us, no matter what you do, you really can’t change how you were born.
According to a new study, the male and female brain also functions differently when it comes to political views. Monitoring the Future is a scholastic endeavor that has been examining the lives of young people since the 1970’s. But in the last three years the survey has been taken, some interesting things have been emerging. Roughly one quarter of the high school seniors surveyed identified themselves as “conservative,” or “very conservative.” When the surveys began, only 13 percent of boys identified themselves as “liberal” or “very liberal.” During the Carter era, both boys and girls identified more as liberal, and even up until the 2000’s, boys who identified as liberal would still outnumber those who said they were conservative. But over the last three years, nearly twice as many 12th grade boys identified themselves as “conservative” or “very conservative.” Unfortunately for the boys, more 12th grade girls are identifying themselves as “liberal,” or “very liberal.” In 2012, 19 percent of 12th grade girls identified themselves as liberal. In 2022, that number jumped to 30 percent. Girls who said they were conservative was at just 12 percent.
A Gallup poll seems to back up what Monitoring the Future has found. That poll shows the number of young women ages 18-29 are now more likely to describe themselves as liberal more than any time in the last 20 years.
Given the state of the American education system, it should come as no surprise that Gen-Zers, those between the ages of 9-24, lean more liberal than conservative by a margin of 48-33 percent. The same NBC poll those stats come from also says that, while just 10 years ago, young people were split on the question of whether they were conservative or liberal, now, the left-leaning tilt among young women is so pronounced that it has been able to move the numbers on how young people are thinking as a whole. In the 2022 survey alone, two-fifths of senior boys gave no answer as to whether they thought of themselves as conservative or liberal, but one fifth said they were moderate. While high school seniors might not be completely familiar with terms like conservative or liberal, they know what they are being taught in school, and what they see in pop culture. It is that content that may be pulling them left or right.
The term “toxic masculinity” is making the rounds right now. It certainly doesn’t take a whole lot of liberal teachers in public schools throwing that term around to make boys think they are the cause of many of the world’s ills simply because they exist. As boys get older and begin to form their own views and opinions, it seems like leaning towards conservatism, which celebrates and encourages masculinity, would be a natural home for them. No one is telling them they are responsible for the bad things that happen in the world. Quite the opposite, conservatism tells boys that if they work hard, they will be successful, and part of that success will mean taking care of a wife and children. That is an empowering message for young men.
Liberalism on the other hand, is sold as caring and compassionate. It is associated with the touchy feely values of feminism. But it is none of those things. Liberalism advocates appeasement, that some people are victims, and some are oppressors. And in the era of diversity, equity, and inclusion, liberalism is really none of those things. It tells young people that essentially, some people count more than others. Much of liberalism is seen as soft and squishy, a if-we-are-nice-to-them-they-will-be-nice-to-us mentality. Do high school senior girls think that if they identify as being liberal, that they are somehow more feminine? If so, all of that “girl power” and female empowerment stuff is surely not hitting the mark.
The fact that more girls are identifying as liberal may spell trouble ahead in the dating world for young conservative men and is an interesting statement on liberal women. Recently, a young liberal women showed up on Tik Tok, lamenting the fact that she could not find a masculine liberal man to date. She was looking for “A man who wants to pay on the first date; who wants to open your door; who has that want and desire to take care of you and provide – who is not a conservative.” She then went on to describe herself as someone who “wants to be respected for my independence, want to have my own autonomy in the relationship, and not be confined to a “traditional” female homemaker childbearing role. Well, there is a double dose of good news for her. She is more conservative than she thinks, and there are plenty of conservative men out there who have no problem with any of those things, and actually find those qualities attractive.
If conservatism is trending male and liberalism is trending female, there just might be a whole new wrinkle in the age-old battle of the sexes.
