Whether or not the outcome of the recent 2024 election shocked you or not, some of the big questions are how Trump managed to win the popular vote with 73.5 million voters (four million more than Harris) and why they voted for him. While we do know that a lot of his support came from his policies on immigrants and (as claimed by Trump) “bettering the economy,” what else factors into his big win?
Gender-Based Statistics
According to NBC’s “exit polls”, surveys done post-voting at election booths in ten key states, about 53% of all voters were women and the remaining 47% were comprised of men. Out of men voters, 55% voted for Trump, and out of women voters, 45%.
A factor that could have played into an increased ballot count for Trump from the side of men compared to the number of ballot counts for Kamala is the long-standing unsaid idea of the “glass ceiling”. The “glass ceiling,” as described by the Oxford Dictionary, is “an unofficially acknowledged barrier to advancement in a profession, especially affecting women and members of minorities.”
America has been run by, for the most part, wealthy white males. This continuity has been broken recently with the first black president, Barack Obama. However, there still has not been a single female president. An argument I have heard from my acquaintances and others online is that simply put, “Females are not suitable to lead this country.”
This is a harmful stereotype that has been pushed onto society from before America’s existence, and though women’s rights have expanded since the beginning of America, there are still many who look down on them and believe that they should not have equal opportunities in office simply due to their gender/sex.
This is an opinion most commonly held by male individuals, but some “trad” (short for traditional and highly conservative) females believe in this as well.
But why would a woman diminish her say and risk potentially revoking her rights to abortion and control over her body? This “glass ceiling” can’t be the only reason why Trump had the upper hand in this election, however.
Education
The NBC exit poll also shows that about 56% of Trump voters did not have a college degree. Out of white men who voted for Trump, non-college graduates made up 69% of that demographic, whereas non-college graduate women made up 63% of the women voters for Trump.
People who have attained less education may vote for candidates who deliver speeches that sound better rather than those who propose a plausible policy for the nation. Trump’s speeches are delivered in a way that appeals to the emotions of people, especially those who may not have access to as high of an education. With greatly exaggerated statements that cause shock and anger, he can rally people who don’t question his statements. Such speeches appeal to what those individuals have learned in school or what they perceive to be “normal” and they accept that without doing further research or simply, they have not had the opportunity to learn how to look at political speeches from a different angle. For example, many voters are attracted to Trump’s proposed tax cuts. However, the way he presents them is misleading, as higher import tariffs would be imposed which in turn would raise expenses for middle-class families by several thousand dollars. Another example of such exaggerated and appealing speeches from Trump that connect to the election results is especially true in the case of women’s roles in society and control over their bodies when it comes to abortion.
While it’s fine for a woman to want to live a traditional life as the wife in the household who takes care of children, it becomes a problem when some individuals take it upon themselves to ban something that may be a matter of life or death for other individuals.
When women are uneducated about the risks that come with having sex, they may result in high-risk pregnancies that should require abortions early on. Things like heart conditions, underlying medical conditions, or even family history can affect that as well, and many undereducated voters seem to not realize that abortion isn’t just for those women who decide to have unprotected sex and “don’t care” about what they create out of it. People may be assaulted, raped, forced into incest, or may not be able to live if they deliver the child. Or, on the other hand, if the baby is delivered, there could be the case that it will not be able to survive due to deformities or other factors that are uncontrollable at this point on the mother’s end. Not every abortion is done when the “baby” has a heartbeat. However, many of those advocating for anti-abortion laws state that all abortions are a crime due to the murder of “children” who haven’t been born yet.
The undereducation of women on their bodies and the use of shocking messages like abortion being the “murder of babies” definitely struck an emotional chord in many women who did not understand the necessity of abortions in moral and the medical field, ultimately playing a critical factor in the decision of voters.
However, there is one more demographic aspect that was quite shocking that also plays into this idea of abortion.
Religion
63% of Protestant and Christian voters and 58% of Catholic voters voted for Trump.
According to the Pew Research Center, in 2024, Christians (including, but not limited to, Catholics, Protestants, and Mormons) make up about 70% of the U.S. population. Another Pew Research Center poll showed that 45% of Americans believe that the USA should be a “Christian nation.” Now, though this would be a violation of the First Amendment, it is not out of the question that ideas like this could potentially align with Trump’s followers, according to this data. Many Christians in the USA that do not support abortion do so not just because of the messages anti-abortion individuals push out, but also due to their conservative religious beliefs.
In conclusion…
Though there are also many other aspects that need to be considered in this election, in the next four years these three points will definitely resurface. In what way? We don’t know yet, but it all depends on how the new, and former, president deals with our nation.
“National Exit Polls: Election 2024 Results.” NBCNews.com, November 6, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-elections/exit-polls.