What Is It With Millennial Women?

What is it with millennial women?

In particular, what is it with single, white millennial women?

As I have looked at videos and photos of the Black Lives Matter protests it is hard not to see the heavy proportion of young white women that are participating. I am assuming that most are single.

I dare say that I am not sure that BLM could keep the momentum going for their protests in many cities were it not for these white millennial women.

Their behavior is also hard to understand at times.

For example, look at this video of three three white, millennial women hurling insults at police officers at a BLM protest. 

 

Or how about this video in which a young, white millennial woman calls several African American police officer parts of a racist system.

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How about this video showing BLM activists taking over a street and painting it red in front of the DA's office in downtown Salt Lake City? Most of the "protestors" are young, white women. I only saw one young black man taking part in the defacing of public property.

A BeeLine reader from Atlanta shared a similar observation with me recently.

He said when he drives by a Black Lives Matter protest site in suburban Atlanta it usually has about 100 participants. Of that number about 10 are Black, 15 are young, white males and 75 are white millennial women.

Can anyone explain this?

I have heard some argue that this is the result of our education system. These millennial women are overwhelmingly college-educated and they have been taught a never-ending leftist view of the world since they began school.

I am sure that has something to do with it but why don't we see young white men participating in these protests to the same degree that women are?

There is no doubt where most of these young women stand politically.

Young women have consistently been much more likely than young men to vote for the Democrat in recent Presidential elections.

 

Trump got 52% of the votes of white male millennials in 2016.

He only got 41% of the vote of white female millennials.

Across all age groups, white male college graduates favored Trump over Clinton 53%-39% in 2016.

White college grad women voted for Clinton 51%-44%.

How can this all of this be explained by simply calling out the education system? 

Source: 2016 CNN Exit Poll

A recent poll by Cosmopolitan suggests that Donald Trump's standing with millennial women is worse now than it was in 2016.

That survey of women aged 18-35 found that 75% of these millennial women thought that Donald Trump was a racist.

57% believed that he was the worst President in our country's history.

72% say that Trump's policies have not improved their lives.

How much of this is due to the fact that these women primarily get their news from social media?

It is by far the most common source of news for millennials. It is also nothing more than an echo chamber in which emotions carry more weight than facts and reason. 

Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1010456/united-states-millennials-news-consumption/

For example, some of the women who were polled  explained that Trump was a racist because he referred to the protestors who burned buildings and looted stores in Minneapolis as "thugs".  They argue that he did not criticize white protestors in early May who gathered in state capitals wanting their states to open up. In their minds, this proves he is a racist.

I don't recall one building being set on fire or any stores that were looted by those who wanted the lockdowns to end in order to get back to work. Social media made a big deal that some of the protestors carried weapons during those protests. However, that was lawful in those states. 

I recall a lot of looting and burning of buildings by people in the aftermath of George Floyd's death who were not peaceful protestors. Have we reached a point of political correctness that we cannot even describe criminals as "thugs"?

This how the word  is defined in the Urban Dictionary. It seems to describe what we saw in Minneapolis and elsewhere very accurately.

By the way, a number of those "thugs" were also white.

In fact, when we see the statues being torn down, and the defacing of property, the vast preponderance of these criminals are white, leftist anarchists. A good proportion are also young women.

I speculated above that a number of the women participating in the BLM protests are single. I clearly don't know that for a fact but that presumption is based on polling data that suggests that singles (especially unmarried women) are much more likely to favor Democrat candidates and causes.

Source: 2016 CNN Exit Poll

That is one of the reasons we saw this on the night that Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton.

Credit: CNN.com

One theory is that women, especially unmarried women, feel more vulnerable about issues involving economic and personal security. They therefore look more to the government for security and are much more likely to vote for Democrats who claim they will take care of them.

It might be argued that being of this mind may also make these women more empathetic to others who  also feel vulnerable in our society (e.g. Blacks being treated unfairly or being victimized by the police or other parts of society). They can more easily relate to the situation because of their own situation and are more empathetic to the effects of racism as a result.

I honestly don't know what it is with millennial women. However, it is clear that they have strong feelings and opinions right now. I am just trying to square these opinions with facts.

What is confounding to me is that the unemployment rate for women under Donald Trump was at an all-time low before Covid-19 appeared on the scene.

It was also at an all-time low for women ages 25-34.

In addition, compare the increase in median weekly earnings for women 25-34 between the last three years of the Obama administration and the first three years of the Trump administration.

Obama (2013- 2016)     +6.3%

Trump (2017-2019        +14.8%

72% of millennial women say that Trump has not improved their lives? And they think that Barack Obama did?

Millennial women have actually done better economically with Trump than millennial men have.

Weekly earnings increase for men age 25-34.

Obama (2013-2016)     +7.2%

Trump (2017-2019)      +14.5%

Black women over age 25 (the BLS does not provide age 25-34 data for this group) have also done better economically with Trump than with Obama.

Obama (2013-2016)     + 11.7%

Trump (2017-2019)       +13.8%

The biggest mystery to me regarding white millennial women who are supporting the Black Lives Matter movement so fervently is trying to figure out how they can be in favor of "Defunding the Police". 

Who do these young women think is going to bear the highest cost in our society if we defund the police? Does it cross their mind that a reduction in police presence might negatively affect them?

Although you are seeing a lot of media attention of the Black Lives Matter demand to defund the police, it appears that many in the Black community understand exactly who will be hurt the most by a reduced police presence.

64% of Americans are concerned that the growing criticism of the police will lead to a shortage of police officers and reduced public safety in the communities in which they live.

Among Blacks that number is 67%.

Let's look at another poll from Rasmussen comparing President Trump's approval rating with Black voters since George Floyd's death.

Seeing media reports and following social media you would think that President Trump has no Black support.

The reality is exactly the opposite.

On May 26, the day after George Floyd was killed, President Trump had an approval rating of 21% with likely Black voters.

On June 26, after nearly a month of protests, riots and calls to defund the police by BLM and others, Trump's approval rating with Blacks was 37%! 28% strongly approve of President Trump.

It should not be a surprise that most people of all colors and creeds want to live in an orderly society where laws are respected and they feel safe and secure in their communities.

What is it with millennial women?

Why wouldn't they want the same thing?

Do they really believe that defunding the police is going to improve the lives of Blacks in America...as well as their own lives?

It is simply inexplicable.