Gender & Politics

Roughly half of Americans say it’s better for a woman who wants to reach high political office to have children before entering politics. Views are different when it comes to leadership positions in the business world.

Over half of women and men who were eligible to vote cast ballots in 2018. Compared with 2014, turnout increased by double digits among both genders.

The U.S. is one of 23 countries where the military draft is authorized but not currently implemented. An additional 60 have some form of an active conscription program.

Gender differences in the U.S. about the size and scope of government have been evident for more than a decade, but they have widened in recent years.

No world region has reached gender parity in the share of legislative seats held by women. Only three nations individually have reached or surpassed parity.

About half of Americans say society looks up to men who are masculine, and 60% of these say this is a good thing. Views differ by party, gender and race.

In many European countries and the United States, women do not actually differ significantly from men in their views about abortion.

Women account for 28% of the 67 judges Trump has appointed to the federal courts since taking office, well below the share appointed by Barack Obama but higher than the share appointed by any other Republican president. Seven of the 67 judges (10%) are racial or ethnic minorities.

Men and women in America generally agree on many of the qualities and competencies they see as essential for political and business leaders to have. But there are notable differences in the importance they ascribe to some of those qualities.

A majority of Americans would like to see more women in top leadership positions in business and politics, but many are skeptical there will ever be gender parity in these areas. Views about the state of female leadership vary by party and gender.