Clinton Not Connecting With Millennial Women

'Glass ceiling' argument isn't resonating with younger voters
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 4, 2016 12:43 PM CST
Clinton Not Connecting With Millennial Women
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton hugs a supporter at a campaign event, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Nashua, N.H.   (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Bernie Sanders didn't just defeat Hillary Clinton among the under-30 set in Iowa, he trounced her by an incredible margin of 6:1. And that holds true when looking solely at young female voters. What gives? Some related coverage:

  • Clinton "has aggressively reached out to young women with the promise of breaking a glass ceiling that the women’s movement has worked for decades to shatter. The newest generation of feminists is responding with a shrug." The Los Angeles Times takes a deeper look, suggesting that millennials see Clinton more as "overcautious mother" than "trailblazer."
  • Former New York Times editor Jill Abramson thinks it's because the idea of breaking the glass ceiling "doesn’t seem revolutionary to some younger women." In fact, this might be a "post-gender election." Read her piece at the Guardian.

  • "The split has exposed a fault line around feminism in America, between women who grew up in an era when they weren't allowed to wear pants to work, for example—and young women who have never known the kind of discrimination and stereotypes their mothers faced." NPR also takes a look.
  • The sentiment isn't unanimous. To read a passionate, all-caps rant against the Hillary backlash going on among young women—written by a young woman herself—see this post at Pajiba. "YES, I'M EMOTIONAL AND I'M YELLING."
  • An Atlantic analysis looks beyond gender in examining the age differences of Clinton and Sanders supporters: Essentially, he got the younger ones and she got the older ones. "Democrats are facing not just a generation gap, but a Grand Canyon-sized chasm."
  • The dividing line in this contest? Age 45, observes the Washington Post.
(More Hillary Clinton 2016 stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X