The Personal is Political: Women and the Vote 2004

As the election dust settles, we are able to see more clearly how and why women voted the way that they did. Let’s start with the how: exit polls and telephone polls agree that the majority of women voted for Democratic candidate John F. Kerry. The majority of men voted for President George W. Bush.

The problem with polls

WomenMatter recognizes that exit polls are imprecise, while telephone polls provide a more statistically accurate reading of the vote. However, telephone polls provide interviewees with a set list of answers from which they can choose. This multiple-choice format may obscure voters’ true opinions since interviewees do not provide their own answers, but rather choose from one of the answers provided for them.

Further, no one knows how many women really voted. And we won’t know for two years since many states don’t require voters to identify their gender when they register. To find the actual number of women voters, ballots have to be compared with census statistics.

The gender gap

The Votes for Women 2004 Survey, a telephone poll that interviewed 1000 men and women nationwide, found that 48 percent of women voted for Bush and 55 percent of men supported him, amounting to a 7 percentage point difference. This gender-based voting divide is typically referred to as "the gender gap."

The 2004 gender gap is 3 points smaller than the 2000 election gap, which presented a 10 point divide between women and men. But although the gender gap appears to be decreasing, the consistently different voting patterns between women and men show that gender does in fact affect political opinion. That brings us to the why.

Female life

WomenMatter understands that gender helps to dictate one’s experience of life. This female life, which may be attributed to biology, society, culture, power, or any combination of these, affects women’s perceptions of issues and candidates. Traditional gender roles encourage women to be caregivers, healers, and child-rearers, and these expectations often influence women’s political perspectives.

From our research -- which is not based on phone surveys but rather on lengthy interviews that allow women to tell their life stories -- WomenMatter has found that women are more likely to be inspired to action when they understand the ways in which a political issue is intertwined with their personal lives.

In response, WomenMatter presents sympathetically information that demonstrates how political activity inspires and is inspired by personal experience. We also consider how each issue grows from the competing policies and philosophies in our government.

Women want a strong economy

According to the Votes for Women 2004 Survey spearheaded by Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, women identified jobs and the economy as the top issue for determining their vote for President.

From our own ethnographic research, WomenMatter has discovered that women connect the economy and job growth with all other issues. To many women, the jobs situation dictates a variety of other concerns, including health care, child care, education, taxes, and women’s rights.

Women see the connection

Other researchers concur that women see the connectedness among issues. The Votes for Women 2004 poll asked voters which statement they most agreed with: “If American women had equal rights under the law, it would strengthen their economic well-being," versus “While equal rights are important, they do not really make a difference for women’s economic well-being." Two-thirds or 64 percent of women voters see women’s rights and economic security as intimately connected while only 43 percent of men did.

WomenMatter is determined to report the way that issues overlap and correspond; we want to fight the current epidemic of oversimplifying.

Divisions among women

The Votes for Women 2004 survey also found that women with different life situations voted differently. Married women tended to vote Republican at 55 percent Bush and 44 percent Kerry, while unmarried women went Democrat at 62 percent Kerry and 37 percent Bush.

White women tended to vote for Bush at 55 percent and Kerry at 44 percent, while non-white women preferred Kerry at 75 percent and Bush at 24 percent. Young women between the ages of 18 and 29 also preferred Kerry at 56 percent to Bush at 43 percent, while women aged 30 to 44 were split 49 percent for Kerry and 50 percent for Bush. Women between 45 and 59 years old were also evenly split at 50 percent Kerry and 49 percent Bush, as were women 60 and older at 51 percent Kerry and 49 percent Bush.

WomenMatter recognizes and respects the differences among women, yet we maintain that gender is a unifying factor as well. We encourage women from varying backgrounds and persuasions to get together and discuss the issues. You can find other women by logging onto our online forum and you can join together to start your own WomenMatter club.

What do you think?

WomenMatter encourages women to educate themselves on the issues and then approach their representatives with ideas.

Even though the election is over, your voice is vital. Make sure our leaders know what’s important to you. To contact your representatives, click here.

WomenMatter is dedicated to empowering women to participate in the political process. To do this we have invested in the most in depth NONPARTISAN information, because we trust each woman to make up her own mind.

• We track nine issues every week and update this website several times a week.
• We launch after school GirlsMatter Clubs in middle and high schools to grow the next generation of politically aware women with a full curriculum and startup kit on girlsmatter.com.
• We do continuous research to make sure that we are meeting the needs of women across the country of all ages, races, incomes, preferences, and religions.
• We provide partnerships with nonpartisan organizations that provide services to women and advocate for them.

We offer all our services free of charge without memberships or subscriptions. To help us maintain this work - not just in election years but as a continuing part of women’s lives - please make a tax deductible donation, click here.

Update Posted on: 11/16/2004