“Gender divides are making a strong comeback, fueled by persistent cleavages in the way men and women are socialized, but also by increasingly widening gaps in educational attainment where girls are drastically outperforming boys. This will remain a significant long-term trend.”

“Another big question…is whether people are more interested in an equitable future where everyone has more of a chance to thrive, or whether they're looking to find their place on a pecking order based on race, gender, and who can conform to narrow norms around sexuality, gender and ability...are we going into an era where…white cis men are assumed to be born to rule and everyone else has to fall in line, or is there going to be a large backlash to the normalization of white nationalism and male chauvinism.”

Support for trans athletes competing in events that corresponded with their gender identity fell from 34% in 2021 to 26% in 2023. Similarly, support for openly serving transgender soldiers fell from 71% in 2019 to 66% in favor in 2021. And, in 2020, 81% of LGBTQ+ voters voted for Biden, with high levels of reported voter engagement (95% reported as registered to vote in 2024).

When asked if society as a whole has become “too soft and feminine,” 64% of Republicans agree vs. 28% of Democrats.

People viewing gender as a fixed binary are often aligned with staunch support for traditional norms and the status quo.

Research indicates that resistance to gender fluidity correlates with opposition to: inclusive immigration policies, criminal justice reform, comprehensive social support systems, historically accurate education, labor rights, universal healthcare, and economic equity initiatives.

Gen Z is the most diverse generational cohort in terms of gender identity and sexual orientation, with 28% of Gen Z identifying as LGBTQ.

Authoritarian movements often magnify pre-existing social disagreements around “gender ideology” to further polarize society and unify conservative coalitions. Leaders worldwide, including the US, have framed LGBTQ+ rights as threats to “traditional family values” to consolidate religious and nationalist support.

Groups advancing anti-trans legislation in the US have explicitly aimed to “focus on gender identity to divide and conquer,” exploiting feminist rhetoric to fracture coalitions between women’s and LGBTQ+ movements.