Only five conservative women exist for every 10 conservative men in the U.S. For every 10 liberal women, there exist only six liberal men, according to a report from the American Enterprise Institute.
The gendered divide between liberalism, which attracts more women, and conservatism, which attracts more men, has been widening, and nowadays fewer people are willing to date someone who does not share their political views. (RELATED: Love, Demographics, and Modern Culture)
Today, 41 percent of non-college-educated and 65 percent of college-educated Americans said they would be less likely to date someone who supports former President Donald Trump.
Of those who do want to date, liberal women appear to be the most disillusioned.
Abortion is one of the most polarizing issues for single women. About 46 percent of all women said that it would be “impossible” or “very difficult” to date someone who does not share their perspective on abortion, while that number rose to about 60 percent for liberal women, who require that their partner support abortion.
According to a 2012 study from Olivet Nazarene University, however, most women — including liberals — claimed to have certain deal breakers in a relationship, many of which, ironically, aligned with more traditional dating expectations.
This aligns with the American Enterprise Institute’s findings: The women in the study claimed that they wanted to date a man who plans dates, remains committed to them, and deletes dating apps from his phone while in a relationship.
A 2018 study from Iowa State University found that women prefer a man who is invested in a relationship, committed to them, and willing to provide and protect them. Women also want men who are chivalrous — who pay for dates and open doors for them.
A woman on TikTok called “ms_petch” recently echoed this sentiment when she complained about the predicament many liberal women face.
“As a liberal woman, it is really hard to find a man who is willing to play the more traditional masculine role in the relationship in today’s day and age who is not a conservative,” she said, “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.”
According to the American Enterprise Institute, 29 percent of Democrat women say that they are completely satisfied with their relationship, compared to 36 percent of Democrat men, 42 percent of Republican women, and 46 percent of Republican men.
Given the expectations liberal women hold, it is not surprising that Democratic women reported the lowest levels of relationship satisfaction.
Liberal women disillusioned by dating should more deeply consider what they are actually looking for.
Emma Verrigni is a rising sophomore at Hillsdale College studying history and journalism. A member of The American Spectator’s 2023 intern class, Emma enjoys reading philosophy and the news.
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