Since Kamala Harris has taken over as the top of the Democratic ticket, gender dynamics have taken center stage in the 2024 election. While gender issues aren’t the main policy focus for either party, between the campy masculinity of Hulk Hogan ripping his shirt off while introducing Trump at the Republican National Convention and the embrace of Kamala Harris as a “feminomenon” on TikTok, it has been difficult to miss the clear dichotomy between femininity and masculinity that has emerged. While these edits and dramatic displays are very entertaining, they also reveal a crucial and more serious side of the election. Specifically, looking at how each campaign has handled the candidate’s gender identity reflects a significant gendered divide in Gen Z Americans that has emerged recently, which could potentially be the deciding factor in this election. Â
Throughout this election, Donald Trump and his campaign have relied on framing him as a “strong man,” playing up his masculinity at every point. He’s even given interviews with bonafide podcast bros Logan Paul and Theo Von and invited wrestler Hulk Hogan and head of the UFC Dana White to speak (or scream) at the RNC. Additionally, the choice of manosphere-adjacent Ohio Senator JD Vance (who has a history of voting against protecting IVF while also slamming childless people as “more sociopathic”) as his running mate only adds to the overwhelming masculinity of the Trump campaign’s strategy.  Â
On the contrary, Kamala Harris has continually chosen not to highlight her gender identity during her campaign, serving as a clear contrast to Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 “I’m with her” campaign. Clinton’s messaging focused on “breaking the glass ceiling” and centralized her identity as a woman, which ultimately failed against Trump. The Harris campaign clearly hasn’t fallen out of a coconut tree and has used this failure to inform their campaign strategy, taking a page out of Veep character Selina Meyer’s campaign strategy along the way.Â
This doesn’t mean gender doesn’t play a role in the Harris campaign. In fact, her running mate Midwestern veteran and former football coach Tim Walz’s masculinity plays a crucial role in the messaging of the Harris campaign. His loveable dad vibe and undeniable Coach Taylor energy exemplify a gentler and more secure form of masculinity, which the campaign has highlighted its efforts to decentralize the fact that a woman is top of the ballot while also combating the hyper-masculinity that is central to their opponent’s strategy.  Â
These choices by the Harris and Trump campaign have been made in response to a crucial divide that has emerged in the American electorate between men and women voters. While there is a long history of a gender divide in the American electorate, with women voting more for Democrats and men voting more for Republicans consistently since 1980, this gap has significantly widened in younger generations. Specifically, women aged 18-29 lean democratic far more often than men in the same age demographic, and most of this divide has emerged since 2020.
Looking at the Harris and Trump campaigns’ online strategies, it’s clear they are aware of this gender divide in the young electorate and are trying to make the most of it. Whether it be sending Trump onto podcasts with young male audiences or the Harris campaign embracing Brat, these strategies have been focused on energizing and mobilizing young Americans (who historically have low turnout). Polling data shows that this strategy has been effective for both sides: as of polling done at the end of August, there is a 51-point gender gap among voters aged 18-29, the largest by far in any cohort of voters.
However, this divide not only because of KamalaHQ’s unserious online presence or Trump’s interviews with Elon Musk on X. There is more serious rationale for it too. In a post-Dobbs decision world where Trump’s allies have endorsed limiting birth control access, and his own VP has spoken in favor of women staying in violent marriages, there’s a lot at stake for women in this election which would cause them to lean to the left. Meanwhile, the ultra-masculine showmanship of the right has appealed to young men who have been lost in recent years. No matter the reasons why it exists, the political gap between Gen Z men and women could have potentially concerning ramifications, and in such a tight election, it could be the deciding factor, but only time will tell. Â
Until then, as we leave Brat Summer and enter the final stretch until election day on November 5, make sure you and the people you know are registered, have a voting plan in place, and are staying informed. Maybe also speak to some men in your life about the stakes of this election along the way.Â