A Response to "Why Does Trump Win With White Men?"

This weekend, I read a troubling opinion article in the NYTimes titled "Why Does Trump Win With White Men?". 

This article captured my attention, mostly because it began by declaring America would look very different if only white males could vote. "We’d have a Senator Roy Moore representing Alabama, where 72 percent of the state’s white male voters…cast their ballot for a man who was accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl…We’d likely have a Senator David Duke from Louisiana…And there would never have been a President Barack Obama".

Writer Michael Sokolove went on to address the big question in academics: why? He begins by shoving statistics. Trump leads Biden amongst white men by a 12-percent margin: 53 to 41. The most recent NYTimes poll shows that more men back Trump than Biden (48% versus 42%) and that for women, it's the overwhelming opposite: 35% back Trump and 58% back Biden. 

Sokolove declared in his article that a "gender gap" exists between how men and women choose to vote: "Women tend to cast votes based on what they perceive as the overall benefit to the nation and their communities. Men are more self-interested." This raised question marks for me. It did not sit right with me. I wondered, is Sokolove viewing the complete picture? Does saying something like this inherently perpetuate sexism?

Sociologist Martin Gilens, the chairman of the public policy department at UCLA stated that the origins of the "gender gap" in voting likely "reflects traditional differences in male and female values and personalities, differences such as men’s greater competitiveness and concerns with issues of power and control, and women’s greater compassion and nurturance, rejection of force and violence, and concern with interpersonal relations.” This is extremely outdated language! I wrestled with Dr. Gilen's words, which didn't seem to fit right into today's context where women are increasingly gaining more rights throughout the world, delaying childbirth, entering male-dominated fields like government and business, and going to school at higher rates than ever throughout the world. 

Furthermore, Sokolove's article failed to address how toxic societal constructions surrounding "manliness" may drive the vote. The current president is brunt, displays vile behavior towards women, which his supporters seem to care little about, and rather than seeking to unite the country, he aggressively divides it. Sokolove makes the argument that white men tend to vote for Trump because their "main concern is more likely to be the balance in his 401(k) account." But in making that statement, Sokolove overlooked an entire group of white men who may vote for Trump out of desperation to adhere to "masculinity" standards. Trump's policies inhibit women's rights, such as abortion, more than Biden's. Particularly with Trump's recent Supreme Court nomination, Amy Coney Barrett, who is extremely pro-life, the current president supports policies that strengthen the patriarchy. This may also be driving the white male vote.

I appreciate how numbers-driven Sokolove's article is. And I also like how he delved into historical voting patterns, stating that the "gender gap" likely emerged around Reagan's election in 1980. He also provided many examples to support his argument. I think perhaps in a broader, historical sense, his argument about the gender gap in voting patterns may be true. But in this election, I would say it does not apply. The economy is in a recession no matter what so re-electing our current president is not a bet on 401(k)s. This year is unprecedented and it's time to change.