Katty Kay: The social changes that drove the elections between men and women

The Trump campaign says gender has nothing to do with it. “Kamala is weak, dishonest and dangerously liberal, and that is why the American people will reject her on November 5,” he said this week. Although Bryan Lanza, a senior campaign adviser, texted me to say he’s confident Trump will win because “the male gender gap gives us the advantage.”

The last time a woman ran for president, negative attitudes toward her gender were clearly a factor. Eight years ago, Hillary Clinton said she was the first woman nominated by a major party. The campaign slogan “I am with her” was a not-so-subtle reminder of her pioneering role.

Pennsylvania Congresswoman Madeleine Dean remembers discussing Clinton’s candidacy with voters. I spent an afternoon with Dean while she was campaigning in her district this week, and she told me that in 2016 people told her, “There’s something about her.”

He says he soon realized that “it was about ‘her.’ That was one thing. “It was that (Hillary) was a woman.”

While Dean believes that sentiment is less prevalent today, she acknowledges that even now “there are certain people who just think, ‘A powerful woman?’ No, a bridge too far.’”

A lot has changed for women since 2016. The #MeToo movement in 2017 raised awareness about the subtle (and not-so-subtle) discriminations women face at work. It changed the way we talk about women as professionals. MeToo may have made it easier for a candidate like Harris to get the nomination.

But those great strides in diversity, equity and inclusion were interpreted by some as a step backwards, especially for young men who felt they had been left behind. Or the changes were simply a step too far for conservative Americans who prefer more traditional gender roles.

So for some voters, the November election has become a referendum on gender norms and the social upheavals of recent years. This seems particularly true for the voters Kamala Harris has a hard time reaching: young people living in a world that is rapidly changing for, well, young men.

“Young people often feel that if they ask questions they are labeled as misogynistic, homophobic or racist,” says John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Institute of Politics.

“Frustrated by not feeling understood, many get caught up in a culture of brothers like Donald Trump or Elon Musk. They look at who Democrats prioritize (women, abortion rights, LGBTQ culture) and ask ‘what about us?’”