Women face incredible pressure to suppress our conservative inclinations. A recent national survey by the KAConsulting Group on behalf of the Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women reveals this truth and suggests what lies behind the façade of studies that indicate otherwise. Most importantly, it uncovers a straightforward path to empower women to be forces for good in the world.
Can it really be that women are naturally conservative? Consider data from Pew Research Center showing the left maintains a sizeable advantage among women who are single, more highly educated, and live in urban areas. Such surveys reveal a snapshot of the moment, but they don’t tell us why women tend to join left-wing causes as a group.
The story of suppressed conservative instincts begins with government-run K-12 education. We all know wonderful people from our neighborhood schools. But our one-size-fits-all approach makes even well-intentioned teachers complicit in imposing a leftist worldview on impressionable young people.
Higher education and online spaces reinforce leftist assumptions and may be especially harmful for young women. More than 60 percent of college students are now women. Studies show that young women spend more time on social media and are more likely to conform to a group than young men.
Women are more likely than men to study disciplines dominated by leftists, including education, women’s studies, psychology, social work, and other humanities and social sciences. Many of the most prominent university presidents pushing radical leftist agendas are women, including Martha Pollack of Cornell
