Are women more liberal or more conservative at heart?

Young women in America are not fully lost, they are just hiding. 

by Kimberly Begg at The Federalist

Survey: Most Young Women Hold Conservative Beliefs But Hide Them

QUOTE: 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.

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. 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. 

We often hear that better-educated women are more progressive. But is the cause education itself or the indoctrination within education that is reinforced by the culture? The question remains: Are women more liberal or more conservative at heart?

Here, the KAConsulting survey provides remarkable insights. Among all women (80 percent of whom did not identify as conservative): 79 percent think a stay-at-home mom is equal in success to women in a professional field; 74 percent think kids should have the opportunity to attend a school of their choice, regardless of zip code; 71 percent oppose transgender surgeries for minors; 68 percent plan to be married with at least one child by the time they’re 30; 64 percent think hook-up culture is harmful to women; and 62 percent oppose men competing in women’s sports.

Given these findings, why don’t women register more conservative in Pew and other research data? The answer may be found in women’s prioritization of friendships and family relationships. The KAConsulting survey reveals that 42 percent of all women conceal or downplay their views. Among these, 75 percent cite the desire to avoid conflict, and another 10 percent fear losing friends or family. Among self-identified conservative women, 50 percent conceal their views and, in addition to avoiding conflict, 10 percent fear “being canceled” and 9 percent fear a negative effect on their grades.

America’s young women are far from lost. They are the unrealized, reluctant-to-offend, naturally conservative leaders of a freer, more virtuous America. They need to know they’re not alone.

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