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MPWMost Powerful Women

Republican Men Think Its Easier to Be a Woman than a Man, Survey Finds

By
Madeline Farber
Madeline Farber
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By
Madeline Farber
Madeline Farber
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January 18, 2017, 3:30 PM ET
Donald Trump Holds Campaign Rally In Richmond, VA
Photo by Chip Somodevilla — Getty Images

While the majority of Americans agree that it’s better to be a man than a woman in today’s society, there is one group that would beg to differ: Republican men.

That’s according to a new poll by PerryUndem, a nonpartisan research and polling firm, which surveyed 1,302 adults in December via the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago’s AmeriSpeak panel. The researchers found 51% of Republican men surveyed said that it’s a good time to be a woman, while only 41% of them said the same of being a man.

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Overall, 37% of survey respondents reported that they believe it’s a good time to be a woman in the U.S. When asked specifically about being a minority woman, that number got even smaller: According to the survey, 27% of respondents said it’s was a good time to be a black woman, 24% said the same of being a Latina, and a mere 11% agreed that the it’s a good moment to be a Muslim woman. Male Democrats disagreed with their GOP counterparts, 32% saying women are in a good spot and 51% saying men have the superior deal.

A full 93% of respondents said they believe in gender equality in terms of work, life, and politics—though only 19% of all those surveyed consider themselves feminists. However, 43% of male Trump voters and 39% of Republican men said gender parity had already been achieved; only 20% of those polled and 12% of women agreed.

Overall, 82% of women said sexism was a problem in society today, and 41% of women said they had felt unequal because of their gender.

Throughout the entirety of the study, Republican men almost always had a different point a view than the other respondents, the New York Times first noted. For example, 51% of respondents said that a lack of women in political office affected women’s rights, where only 24% of Republican men said the same. Similarly, 57% percent of all survey takers said unequal responsibilities caring for family affected women’s rights, but only 36% of Republican men agreed.

One reason for the disparity is the variation different people define equality—usually as a result of their politics and gender, the Times reports. But despite this, nearly all of the respondents found common ground on three issues: 90% of the respondents and 86% of Republicans supported the idea that the next president and Congress should work on equal pay laws, and 89% of respondents supported policies improving access to high-quality, affordable child care. Another 87% supported paid family and medical leave, according to the poll.

About the Author
By Madeline Farber
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