The growing political divide between men and women is affecting modern relationships

DENVER — If travel nurse Alexis Matthew crossed paths with sprinkler company owner Alex Walker on a dating app, they probably wouldn’t find much common ground.

“I’m 28 years old. I moved here a year ago,” Matthew said. “I mostly use dating apps, occasionally meet up in the wilderness, but mostly I use dating apps.”

Matthew is more liberal, Walker is more conservative.

“I will join the National Guard in January and be sent to basic training,” Walker said.

But one thing they have in common is that both are finding it increasingly difficult to find a partner due to political differences with potential partners.

Research shows that young men and women are drifting apart politically, and many are unwilling to cross the ideological divide.

“If I don’t agree with them politically, it doesn’t do me any good,” Matthew said.

“Trying to find women who are more conservative and have the same beliefs (as do I) has been a little difficult,” Walker added.

Growing gender gap

As for generation Z; A recent Gallup poll showed that women are moving to the left politically, while men are moving to the right.

A. American Enterprise Institute’s 2023 Survey showed that 46% of white GenZ women identified as liberal, while only 28% of men identified as liberal.

Gallup

Jeremy Castle, an associate professor of political science at Metropolitan State University of Denver, said there has been a significant shift since former President Donald Trump entered the political arena.

“It’s actually just in the last decade — with the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and the election of Donald Trump and the Women’s March — that we’ve seen social issues play a larger role in these differences between men and women in politics,” Castle said.

fail to pass division

These differences are front and center on dating apps. report that more people are sorting matches by political affiliation.

Matthew, who does not indicate his political affiliation on dating apps, is one of those who use this tactic. He said LGBTQ rights and access to abortion.

“But I judge people by what they put into (practice),” Matthew said. “If they put ‘conservative’ on their dating app and they look conservative… I’m not going to match with them.”

He is a good friend: A 2023 poll shows 65% of Democrats say they would be less likely to date a Republican, and 62% of Republicans surveyed say they would be less likely to date a Democrat.

Alex Walker kind of falls into this group. He said he would consider dating a liberal woman.

“It’s hard to find conservative women right now,” Walker said.

He said he recently spoke with a woman who describes herself as a liberal and seems to be a strong feminist.

“And I felt useless in that relationship,” she said.

Looking beyond labels

As a result, there is an imbalance, according to University of Denver Research Professor Galena Rhoades, with many daters unwilling to switch between party lines.

“This has become a real deal breaker for people,” said Rhoades, who studies what works for couples.

He warns that political labels may not always reflect true values.

“The things we feature, especially on dating apps, may not be the most important things,” Rhodes said. “So you might say, ‘I’m not going to date anyone who’s under six feet tall,’ when in fact if you meet someone who’s six feet tall, that might be a really good match, but if you don’t give that person the opportunity to really connect and understand who you are at your core, you’ll miss out.” “

Rhoades said research shows that people who identify politically the same way tend to have less conflict in marriage, but there are many other factors, such as how you manage differences and communicate, that affect how happy a couple is or whether they stay together.

Do you agree to disagree?

But for many people, this is more complicated than just agreeing to disagree.

“It’s like you can disagree but still be friends,” Matthew said. “But if my brother wants to get married and you’re trying to make sure that doesn’t happen, then that’s a bigger deal to me, and that’s not something I can object to.”

Walker agrees that it’s a matter of deep-rooted beliefs that impact families.

“I am a Christian and I believe what the Bible says,” he said. “If we have men who are too feminine, nothing can be done. You won’t have strong families.”

However, it is important to remember that people can change their minds. Castle said research shows that married couples tend to converge in terms of ideologies.

An MSU Denver student said his now-husband is a big influence on his politics.

“Actually, it was my wife who pulled me to the left. I was probably more of a centre-right conservative type,” Allan Ash said. “Sometimes they’re right, sometimes you’re right.”

Denver7