American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Samuel J. Abrams has noticed a growing and troubling trend in America, especially on our college campuses — the increasing political divide between men and women. Abrams points to the recent pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses as evidence.

The ideas shared by the fraternity brothers stood in sharp contradiction to those of the protesters. The brothers, full of patriotism and respect for American values and its institutions were juxtaposed by those who shouted vitriolic hate and anti-Semitic chants, led mostly by women.

Men and women are growing farther apart politically, especially on college campuses. College-aged men — a shrinking demographic — have become more conservative, while college-aged women are becoming more liberal. Young women are more likely to vote, care about political issues, and participate in social movements and protests than young men. A cursory look at the recent spring protests related to Israel-Hamas often had women leading the charge; women were at the center of hunger strikes and public statements that were divorced from factual reality and established truths.

This has resulted in a growing disparity in patriotism, wherein significantly more men are willing to stand up and fight for America than are women.

Adding an additional layer to the question of gender in America, I want to argue that there is now a clear patriotism gap among college and university men and women too and this should not be overlooked. A June 2024 survey of over 3,000 college and university students from The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) revealed that women would not fight for this country while men would if there were an invasion. ACTA asked if whether the United States were invaded by Russia as Ukraine has been, would respondents flee the country or stay and fight. About 60 percent of men reported that they would stay and fight compared to just 34 percent of women. 66 percent of women said that they would flee the country which is remarkable proof for just how little patriotism and loyalty so many women have to this country and its historic institutions. Moreover, the survey found other appreciable gender-based differences that cannot be overlooked. One is on the issue of the rule of law which ties in well with the recent protests — women (42 percent) are less likely to support the rule of law compared to men (52 percent) as a key civic principle. Moreover, women are less likely to accept free markets as a central component of civic life here as well (41 percent) compared to men (56 percent).

Harvard’s Institute of Politics annual survey of younger Americans — 18-to-29-year-olds nationwide in the spring of 2024 — captured similar gender differences regarding a love for America. When asked if they would rather live in America than any other place despite the nation’s challenges and imperfections, 66 percent of men compared to 48 percent of women — an 18-point difference — would still live in the United States and not want to live elsewhere. In the 2023 Fall edition of the survey, about 38 percent of men reported that they were hopeful about America’s future compared to a quarter (25 percent) of women.

This troubling gender gap in patriotism is a problem our nation needs to deal with for the future of America.

Read the whole article here.