Voting Women Myths



This year has been monumental for the visibility of women’s rights activists, especially with the presidential candidates having such opposing views on nearly every issue. Women all over the country have declared that they will stand up and fight against the “War on Women,” refusing to stand down and have their rights denied.

But with all the publicity over abortion rights, Planned Parenthood, birth control, equal pay, rape, and a slew of other issues, people have made some ridiculously false (yet long-lasting) insinuations about women’s voting habits.

One rumor suggested that women are, in general, much more in favor of abortion rights than men are. Yet, looking at statistics provided by Gallup in 2011, 59% of men and 56% of women said they thought abortion should be illegal in all cases, or all cases but a select few. However, more women do tend to vote for a candidate only if they share their views on abortion (around 38%), and many have said that the candidate’s view on birth control and Planned Parenthood funding is also important to them.

Another myth is that the “War on Women” is the reason for the gender gap. Actually, women have consistently voted for Democrats in higher proportions than men for the last thirty years. It’s not specific to this election and these candidates; women have just traditionally felt that Democrats are more in line with women’s issues.
It’s also been said that women vote like they date, or in other words—they vote for the candidate who will make them feel safe, who is strong and clear, kind and protective. Yet that insinuation easily falls flat when we consider that women often date males who have a higher status and personal wealth—and if that were the case, Romney would win by a landslide.

And that’s not to mention the recent CNN article that insinuated women’s hormones would be voting for them come Election Day. It’s sad, that after so long, such old-fashioned, sexist views are still being spread and believed by so many.

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