Keller @ Large: Gender Gap In Politics Appears To Be Closing
BOSTON (CBS) -- It may be the single most significant demographic in modern-day politics, and certainly in the current election--the gender gap, that persistent, sometimes decisive difference between the way men and women see the issues and the candidates.
Since 1980, women have been on average eight percent more likely to back the Democratic candidate than men have, and a case can be made that that was one of the most important factors in the victories of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
You might automatically assume that this year, the gender gap will be larger than ever. After all, Hillary Clinton is the first female nominee of a major US political party, while Donald Trump has at times made Archie Bunker seem like a feminist by comparison.
But according to the website 538.com, the average gender gap in polling this month is ten points, substantial, but right in line with past elections and nowhere near the margins Clinton enjoyed earlier in the year.
Why? Clinton has some of the worst favorability and trust numbers in history, and that could be turning off some women. But when you see Trump's lead among men starting to erode in recent polls, it suggests that men are tiring of his act, and finding common ground with the women in their lives.
There are solid reasons why men and women usually see things somewhat differently--different life experiences, and different instincts. But wouldn't it be something if, come Election Day, the gender gap is actually smaller than usual?
Perhaps that could be the start of a new era in our politics, where the values we all share take priority over those we do not.
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