… It is tempting to blame the re-emergence and persistence of the gender gap, particularly since 1996, on the parties’ differences on women’s issues, dating back to 1980 and Reagan’s opposition to abortion and the Equal Rights Amendment. In this view, women have abandoned a party that has turned rightward on issues important to them.
However, a look at the trend in party identification among women and men indicates that the source of the gender gap is more likely the movement, beginning as early as 1964, of men toward the Republican Party. During this same period, women generally stuck with the Dems.
So why did men leave the Democratic Party, while women did not? [cont.]
The Economist: Democracy in America