Don’t Give Up on Gen Z Women

By Macy Gunnell

Today, America faces an unfortunate reality. It’s evident from recent data,​ and it’s even more obvious with the recent election results: my fellow Gen Z women disproportionately vote Left.  

In Virginia, 76% of Gen Z women voted​ for Democratic candidate for state attorney general Jay Jones, who was exposed for wishing death upon his Republican opponent’s children. For the governorship, 81% of Gen Z women voted for Democrat Abigail Spanberger, who supports allowing men into women’s spaces under the guise of compassion for the transgenderism cause. In New Jersey, 81% of Gen Z women voted for Mikie Sherrill, who voted to raise taxes by $3,700 on families. The case that takes the cake for most tragic and ironic, however, is found in New York City, where 84% of Gen Z women voted for self-described socialist Zohran Mamdani, who supports soft-on-crime policies that endanger women in the city. 

Gen Z women’s hardening into Democratic constituents highlights the absurdity of our time. Progressivism leaves women less safe, in favor of coddling criminals. Yet, a majority of Gen Z women have fallen for false promises and fancy buzzwords such as “community safety” that do the opposite of the intended effect.  

Why have Gen Z women moved so far to the Left?

It’s nowhere near as complicated as people may think.

Simply put: the Left manipulates young women.

Young women are hardwired to think more emotionally. This can be a strength, especially in maternal situations but also in the workplace. We instinctively seek stability and peace. However, Democratic donors and far-left figures have exploited our nature to create ideological foot soldiers. As the marriage rate continues to decline, with young people either postponing or forgoing it altogether, young women have sought support in the state. When Mamdani declares “there’s no problem the government cannot solve,” many young women interpret this as a rescue from the atomization they feel in society. 

This issue must be taken seriously. Young men and women increasingly do not see eye-to-eye on values. Dating, the birthrate, and therefore the future of western civilization are at stake. Our country’s survival rests on whether the conservative movement can liberate women from radical feminism and progressivism. 

However, hope is not lost. As a senior and conservative woman at Saint Mary’s College, an all-women’s school that hasn’t been immune to what Elon Musk coined “the woke mind virus,” I am surrounded by progressive Gen Z women. I know how they think and where the GOP might be able to make inroads with them. 

Currently, the Republican party’s messaging to young women is weak. We must meet Gen Z women where they’re at: on campus and online. 

Young women significantly outnumber young men in college today. At these schools, radical feminism is reinforced to the female students by the administrators and professors, especially given the explosion of the Gender Studies major in recent decades. The modern university is the lion’s den for conservatives still, make no mistake, but Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA laid the groundwork for how to engage with youth and change their hearts and minds. 

After delivering the youth vote to President Trump in the 2024 election, primarily through young men, Turning Point USA is prudently passing the baton to Charlie’s firebrand widow Erika Kirk. She, alongside other nurturing and bold personalities who are anchored in truth such as Allie Beth Stuckey, will be the key to reaching young women. 

A stronger coalition between the Turning Point powerhouse and the Republican Party will also be essential to moving the needle. If the RNC can revitalize its Youth Advisory Committee and establish College Republicans of America as its official youth branch, the GOP will have a competitive ground game in academia. 

The conservative movement must also establish dominance online. It’s a painful fact that radical feminist, progressive content floods the social media feeds of young women. Consider that a top podcast for young women is the vulgar Call Her Daddy and top artists for young women are the openly Democratic Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Bad Bunny.

It’s estimated​ that around 27% of social media users are Gen Z and spend an average of 4.8 hours online every day. Needless to say, online content creation is a huge opportunity for outreach for conservatives. Gen Z women are easily influenced by what we see on social media. If we can fill the internet with constructive advice and messaging toward conservative principles and the good, true, and beautiful, we have a chance at making young women see through the blatant lies of the Democratic party.

I’ve addressed where we should be going and how we can better coordinate with conservative movement stakeholders to court young women.

The final consideration is what we’re messaging. 

There is nothing wrong with the consensus America-first agenda, which includes the best prosperity policies for young women, even if they don’t realize it yet. But we must dive deeper into culture. While the economy matters greatly to young people, young women especially pay close attention to social and lifestyle phenomena. 

The fashion and wellness space, for example, have huge implications for culture, and culture has huge implications for politics, as the great Andrew Breitbart once observed. 

Luckily for conservatives, our worldview is objectively good and worth fighting for; we just need the right marketing. We have all the best traditions, aesthetics, and values at our disposal. There are already quiet signs of these elements breaking through into mainstream pop culture, whether via the renewed interest in aging gracefully, the style trend that is “quiet luxury,” or even the popularity of homesteader bloggers. 

The cultural momentum is in our favor.

We need to meet young women where they’re at and speak their language.

The question is: do conservatives have the spine to act? Will the GOP finally make a concerted effort to attract young women? Or will it kick the can down the road again, sending young women further into the arms of the Left?

A 21-year-old life-long Hoosier from the cornfields of Indiana, Macy Gunnell is a current senior at Saint Mary’s College and a conservative political commentator. Gunnell serves as the Vice President of Communications for College Republicans of America and represents thousands of College Republicans nationwide as Press Secretary. A former White House intern, she has had her commentary and analysis featured in Fox News, Newsmax, The Wall Street Journal, and more.