This doesn't bode well for the future shalom bayis in American homes.
Samuel Abrams
The University of North Carolina fraternity brothers who defended the American flag in May of 2024 against a mob of pro-Palestinian protesters were prominently featured at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this past week. The images from April of the fraternity brothers went viral as one member proudly noted that they took action because, “It was all about respect, not just for the cloth, but for everything that the flag stands for.” At the Convention, another fraternity brother declared “Too many people have sacrificed everything for it. . . The least we could do was keep it flying. And tonight we are proud to honor our flag again.”
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.
Much has been written about this gender gap and beyond political measures such as ideology and vote choice, what should be known now is that there is also a significant masculinity gap between Republicans and Democrats. Data from AEI’s Survey Center on American Life found that Republican men are appreciably more likely than Democratic men to say that they are “very masculine,” (54 percent vs. 33 percent). Moreover, according to the same survey, Black and Hispanic men look a lot more like Republicans than Democrats when it comes to ideas about their manliness: 55 percent of Black men and 52 percent of Hispanic men also say they are “very masculine.”
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.
As we head into the November election and schools reopen, it is worth considering now that a distinct gender gap has emerged when it comes to patriotism among college men and women. This difference will undoubtedly deeply impact campus life and our nation’s politics. Our nation is not perfect; there is anger among many, the American Dream is not as easy for everyone as it once was, parties are polarized, and inflation has made life harder. To move forward, unite, and heal—as both Presidents Biden and Trump have called for in recent days—we need to love our country and its values as was articulated by the fraternity brothers in North Carolina, not call for its destruction as so many women often do.
