PULSE OF THE VOTERS: U.S. gender gap on Trump support seen locally, too

June 27--BY HOJUN CHOI AND RYAN SCOTT

HERALD-BANNER STAFF

In light of reports of a growing gender gap split along the lines of support for President Donald Trump, the Herald-Banner took the issue to the residents in Hunt County for CNHI media group's "Pulse of the Voters" series.

A Harvard CAPS-Harris poll in April showed that Trump's approval rating among women who participated in the study had dropped from 41 to 35 percent following the coverage of the president's alleged affair with adult-film actress Stephanie Clifford, who has gone by her stage-name, Stormy Daniels.

The same poll showed that men's support for Trump had increased 3 percent, showing an apparent gender gap as it relates to the support for the current president.

In Hunt County, in which 76.5 percent of the voters chose Trump as their next president, voters seemed to be more focused on issues like women's pay and reproductive rights in comparison to the controversy surrounding Trump's conduct with and toward women.

Rachel Robinson, 28, a former school teacher who lives in Greenville, considers herself a moderate-conservative. One of the issues that she holds in high prominence is education, a subject that she said should be on the minds of everyone regardless of gender.

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"I don't really get the mechanism behind women seeming more interested in actually helping students and teachers," Robinson said. "I don't know if it's the inherent nurturing instinct (of women), but I just notice that the men are focused on fiscal matters, especially within the state, and women are focused on social aspects, such as making sure that children have what they need."

Robinson also spoke about what she thought about the results of the 2016 presidential election, when 54 percent of women voters, according to Washington Post exit polls, chose Hillary Clinton over Trump.

She said she thinks identity politics played a large role in this trend, and though she considers herself a feminist, does not feel that her views are well-represented by the media in its coverage of events centered around women's rights.

"I don't feel like people are looking at millennial women in their late 20s and thinking, 'small town, married, children and a mortgage.' I think they look at 'vagina hats' and they see marches and yelling, and I don't think that's the real truth. Absolutely I think that what these women are marching for should be talked about, but I don't feel like that's the whole truth," Robinson said.

Bob Hill, 74, a retiree in Greenville who used to work in the IT industry, told the Herald-Banner that he does not see a big discrepancy in the way men and women are treated in the workplace, or in politics.

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"I don't see a huge imbalance in the way men and women are treated, especially in the workforce, and especially relative to politics. Now, I know that there are things that are closer to a man's heart than a woman's. We see the world differently," Hill said.

Hill said he understands how women may feel closer to issues like abortion, and said he respects the right for women to protest what they see as injustices in the political system.

Hill, like Robinson, said he does not agree with the way that some women's rights activists have decided to express their grievances.

"They certainly have every right to voice their grievances, and as long as it's done in a constructive and progressive way, and in areas where their problems can be remedied, then I have no problem with that. I think that some of the feminist groups have gone overboard wearing their pink hats and putting up their profane signs," Hill said.

Stacey Sullivan, 49, who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, said she feels that Democrats have been a stronger proponent of women's rights in comparison to Republicans. She said she hopes to see more elected officials who are women.

"We have to have fairness, and we have to have choices. We have to have the choice to make our own decisions," Sullivan said. "As women, we're half the population, and we're not represented in half of the political environment, so yeah. I'd like to see more representation for women."

Peggy Peterson, 67, who lives in Hunt County near Royse City, is a woman who voted from Trump, and considers herself a staunch conservative.

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Peterson said she did not feel any pressure to vote for Clinton due to her gender, and said there are decisions that Trump has made, such as economic policies, that have had a positive impact on men as well as women.

"They say it's trickle down from Obama; it's not trickle down. Trump has reversed so many things that Obama put into play, and I think that affects everyone not just men, not just women, I think it affects the whole nation," Peterson said.

Peterson's views on abortion, however, differ from many around the country who identify themselves as conservative.

Though she does not believe that abortion should be used as a method of birth control, she also believes that women, in some situations, should have a right to decide their own well-being, both socially and physically.

"If a woman has been raped, or is a victim of incest, yes, I wholeheartedly agree with abortion. I'm sorry, I can't see that forcing a woman to carry a child of her rapist or of an uncle or father is right. It's bad enough that she's been damaged by the actual act, but to force her to carry the child? Uh, no. That's cruel and unusual as far as I am concerned," Peterson said.

Peterson also said she feels "torn" when it comes to younger women who are pregnant for the first time.

Though people should take better advantage of the new methods of birth control available to both men and women, Peterson said the option to abort a pregnancy should be available to those who, with proper counseling, have made the difficult decision to do so.

"I think the girl should be allowed to make her own decision," Peterson said.

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