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Gender Gap Important Regardless of Age, Race, Marital Status, Party, Education

Women voters favored Gore in all major demographic categories with an overall 12-point gender gap (54 percent of women and 42 percent of men voted for Gore). The largest gender gaps were between unmarried women and men and college-educated women and men.

Unmarried women were among Gore’s strongest supporters. Gore won 63 percent of the votes of unmarried women, and only 48 percent of the votes of unmarried men–for a 15-point gender gap. Unmarried women comprise an increasingly significant one-fifth of the electorate.

Among college graduates, 57 percent of women and 39 percent of men supported Gore, producing a whopping 18-point gender gap. On the education variable, Gore’s support among women without high school diplomas was even slightly higher at 60 percent. The gender gap, however, was smaller because 57 percent of men without high school diplomas said that they voted for Gore.

Almost every Black women voter-94 percent-supported Gore. Despite overwhelming support for Gore among both Black women and men, Black women supported Gore at a higher rate than Black men for 9-points gender gap.

Support for Gore by age and gender also had significant gender gaps with 53 percent of young women (18-29 years old) voting for Gore and only 41 percent of young men–a 12-point gender gap.

Among older voters (60+ years), women voted 56 percent for Gore and men voted 44 percent for the same 12-point gap. Independent women also were key to Gore’s vote. Gore won support from 51 percent of independent women, and only 39 percent of independent men. However, only 9 percent of Republican women and 7 percent of Republican men crossed party lines to vote for Gore.

Increased visibility of the abortion issue in the election also could have increased the support of Republican women for Gore. Because of differences between the two parties on women’s rights, gun control, and human service issues, Democratic women comprise 23 percent of the electorate and Democratic men only 15 percent, for an 8-point gender gap.

Visit Women’s Election Watch 2000 for a breakdown of the Gender Gap for Gore by demographic subset and other news on the 2000 elections.

Sources:

Feminist Majority; Voter News Service; New York Times - November 11, 2000

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