In American politics, there is a longstanding political gender gap in which women are more likely to identify as, and vote for, Democrats and hold more liberal political views on a range of policy issues compared with men. At the same time, American women are far from politically similar, particularly along racial lines and within age categories. This Spotlight Analysis examines women’s voting history since 2000 and their party affiliation and political ideology over the past decade, revealing notable differences by racial and age groups.
Women’s Voting History in the 21st Century
Since 2000, the majority of women voters have cast their ballots for Democratic candidates in U.S. presidential elections. However, during the same period, the majority of white women have steadily voted Republican, including for Bush in 2000 and 2004 (51% and 56%, respectively), for McCain in 2008 (53%), for Romney in 2012 (56%), and for Trump in 2016 (51%), 2020 (52%), and 2024 (53%). While some pundits assumed that Clinton and Harris’ historic candidacies might result in a majority of white women voting Democratic, the data show clearly that those outcomes did not come to fruition, with partisanship trumping gender when it comes to influencing vote choice.
The gender gap in voting, then, is largely driven by women of color, who have voted Democratic in considerable majorities during this same time period. Black women have remained the most prominent and constant Democratic voters, with at least nine in ten having voted for Democratic candidates since 2000 (94% in 2000, 90% in 2004, 97% in 2008, 96% in 2012, 94% in 2016, 90% in 2020, and 92% in 2024). Hispanic and AAPI women have also held majorities in their support for Democratic candidates.
There is also a distinct age gap in vote preference among women at times, though this gap has not always been prominent in each election cycle. In 2000 and 2004, women voted for Al Gore and John Kerry at similar rates across age groups. However, since the 2008 presidential election, young women have consistently voted for Democrats at higher rates than older age cohorts. Seven in ten women ages 18-29 (70%) voted for Barack Obama in 2008, compared with 56% of women ages 30-44, 54% ages 45-64, and 47% ages 65 and older. Similarly, at least six in ten women ages 18-29 voted for Democratic presidential candidates in 2012 (66%), 2016 (63%), 2020 (67%), and 2024 (61%).
Moreover, from 2012 to 2024, the majority of women ages 30-44 voted for Democratic candidates. Interestingly, while the majority of women ages 45-64 voted for male Democratic candidates in 2012 (51%) and 2020 (56%), they were more divided in their support for female Democratic candidates in 2016 (49%) and 2024 (49%). Senior women (65+) did not reach majority support for Obama in both 2008 (47%) and 2012 (48%), but at least half voted for Democrats in 2016 (50%), 2020 (52%), and 2024 (53%).
Women’s Partisanship, 2013-2024
Turning to partisanship, 2024 PRRI surveys show that a plurality of women identify as Democrats (32%), followed by 28% who identify as Republican, 23% as independent, and 17% as another party. The share of women identifying as either Democratic or independent has decreased significantly, down from 36% and 34%, respectively, in 2013, while the share of Republican women has grown from 21% in 2013.
Yet, there are stark racial differences when it comes to partisanship among women. White women (36%) are significantly more likely to identify as Republican than AAPI (19%), Hispanic (19%), and Black (4%) women. By contrast, the majority of Black women (56%) identify as Democratic, compared with 37% of AAPI, 34% of Hispanic, and 26% of white women. Across all racial groups, less than three in ten women (28% of AAPI, 23% of white, 22% of Black, and 21% of Hispanic women) identify as independent.
Since 2013, white women have grown more likely to identify as Republican (28% in 2013 vs. 36% in 2024) and less likely to identify as independent (35% to 23%) or Democratic (30% to 26%). AAPI and Hispanic women have also grown more Republican (13% to 19% and 10% to 19%, respectively), but have not significantly shifted in Democratic identity. Black women have drastically declined in Democratic identity (from 70% in 2013 to 56% in 2024). Interestingly, more Black women have not become Republicans or independents but rather have shifted to the “other” category or have left party affiliations entirely (6% to 19%) — particularly younger women.
While young women have recently voted Democratic at higher rates, there is a significant amount of variation in party identification by age. Women ages 18-29 are less likely than older age cohorts to identify as Republican. However, women age 65 and older are more likely to identify as Democratic than younger groups. Around one-quarter of women across all age groups identify as independent. While women across all age groups have grown more likely to identify as Republicans since 2013, this shift has been especially pronounced among older women ages 45-64 (from 23% to 32%) and 65 and older (from 26% to 34%). By contrast, younger women ages 18-29 (35% to 30%), ages 30-44 (35% to 30%), and ages 45-64 (36% to 32%) have become less likely to identify as Democrats. Senior women ages 65 and older who identify as Democratic have remained stable over time. Women across all age groups have become less likely to identify as independent.
Women’s Political Ideology, 2013-2024
Considering American women’s political ideology, as of 2024, more than one-third identify as ideologically moderate (36%), while around three in ten say they are conservative (31%) or liberal (29%). In 2013, women were more likely to identify as conservative (34%) than moderate (29%), but women’s liberal identification has remained stable over time, with more than one in four (28% in 2013) choosing to describe themselves as liberal.
White women (36%) are more likely than AAPI (29%), Hispanic (27%), and Black (17%) women to identify as conservative, while Black (44%) and Hispanic (39%) women are more likely than AAPI (35%) and white (33%) women to identify as moderate. Around one-third of AAPI women (35%) and three in ten Black (31%), Hispanic (29%), and white (28%) women identify as liberal.
Women across all racial groups have grown more likely to identify as moderate since 2013, including Black women (33% to 44%), AAPI women (29% to 35%), Hispanic women (28% to 39%), and white women (28% to 33%). AAPI women have become slightly more likely to identify as conservative since 2013 (23% to 29%), while the percentage of Black women who identify as conservative has dropped at a higher rate than Hispanic women (28% to 17% vs. 33% to 27%). No group of women has significantly shifted in liberal identity since 2013.
Women’s political ideology varies by age; older women ages 45-64 (36%) and ages 65 and older (38%) are more likely than younger women ages 18-29 (22%) and ages 30-44 (27%) to identify as conservative. Young women ages 18-29 (37%) are more likely than women ages 30-44 (30%), ages 45-64 (24%), and ages 65 and older (27%) to identify as liberal. Roughly one-third of women across all age groups identify as moderate.
There has been little change over time among women who choose to identify as liberal or conservative. Only the percentage of conservative women ages 30-44 has seen a significant decline, down 5 points from 32% in 2013 to 27% in 2024. While women across all age groups have grown more likely to identify as moderate since 2013, this shift is particularly acute among women ages 30-44, increasing more than 10 points, from 28% in 2013 to 39% in 2024.
