Do Lady Boomers Want a Woman to be Elected President in the United States?
2025 national survey of women over 50 finds Lady Boomers may be the proverbial wrinkle in the political ointment
Unless you were in a coma for the past four months you are probably aware the United States underwent a Presidential election last November. The contenders? A white 78-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman of black, South Asian heritage. A considerable amount of focus was devoted to the potential impact of a gender gap in this race. And the election results indicate there was a gender disparity, but gender loyalty was stronger among men than women.
Men preferred the male candidate by a 13 points margin while the margin among women for the female candidate was only 8 points. As a writer, market researcher, and Baby Boomer woman, I was curious about the attitudes, finances, and political proclivities of women in my age cohort. To satisfy this curiosity, the Kitchens Group and Vantage Data House conducted a national survey in January, 2025 of women over the age of fifty. Seven hundred and twenty women were interviewed in a demographically representative sample using The Vantage Data House Internet interviewing system. The margin of error for the survey is +/- 3.7% with a 95% confidence level.
Financial Insecurity Among +50 Year Old Women? A Resounding Yes!
Speaking of income, 61% make less than $100,000 with 21% reporting less than $75,000. Just 25% of the overall sample say they are living comfortably and can afford things their family needs and wants. This finding is more likely among women between the ages of 71-80, those with advanced degrees, women residing in the Southeast, and those with incomes higher than $150,000.
Forty-one percent say their families are able to pay their living expenses with money left over for some extras. This data indicates, however, that 34% or one-third of women ages 50 and older in the United States are either just meeting basic living expenses or are forced to reside with other family members to make ends meet. And, it’s no wonder since 55% report having made a significant change in their careers, 27% of whom to devote time to their families.
Political Proclivities of +50 Year-old Women in the U.S.
By a six-point margin, more women are registered as Democrats (44%) than as Republicans (38%). Democratic registration is higher among women between the ages of 71-80, women with undergraduate degrees, women in the Northeast and Pacific regions, African American and Hispanic women, retired women, those who watch local TV and read online newspapers, and those earning between $51,000-$100,000.
Republican registration is more likely among those in the Southeast, Asian women, those who read the local paper, watch cable news, and rely on the internet for their news and information, and those earning between $100,000-$150,000.
Those earning more than $150,000 and white women are divided between the two parties.
Eighteen percent say they are registered as NPAs (no party affiliation) or do not vote. NPA registration is somewhat higher among women with advanced degrees (24%), those in the Pacific region (25%), Hispanic women (30%), and women whose household income is less than $50,000 (25%).
To gain more understanding of the political leanings of women in this age category, we asked the following question:
Forty-six percent, almost half the sample, describe themselves as at least somewhat traditional in their attitudes toward social issues, with 25% falling into the “very traditional” category. This response is higher among those earning less than $50,000 and between $76,000-$100,000, women with a high school education or less and those with some college education, those in the Southeast, and African American women.
Twenty-three percent identify their belief system as moderate and 31% as liberal. When these two categories are combined, 54% identify themselves as holding more progressive attitudes toward social issues. This response is higher among women with undergraduate degrees and those with advanced degrees, those residing in the Pacific region, and women earning more than $100,000.
Party identification broken down by belief systems indicates:
Among those who hold very traditional belief systems – 67% are registered Republicans; 19% registered Democrats; and 14% NPA/non-voters.
Among those who hold somewhat traditional belief systems – 48% are registered Republicans; 36% registered Democrats; and 16% NPA/non-voters.
Among moderates – 30% are registered Republicans; 45% registered Democrats; and 25% NPA/non-voters.
Among liberals – 11% are registered Republicans; 71% registered Democrats; and 19% NPA/non-voters.
Do Older Women Want a Woman to be Elected President?
Let’s see how these registration and political belief statistics translate into electorate politics. The survey posed the following question:
Sixty-two percent of women fifty and older think it would be beneficial for the country if a woman was elected president (62% beneficial; 12% not beneficial). An even higher percentage of women with undergraduate and graduate degrees, women in the Northeast, African American and Hispanic women, full time employees, and Democrats believe it would be beneficial if a woman was elected president. Moderates and liberal women are also more enthusiastic about the prospect of a woman president.
Republican women are more divided in their views, with 34% saying it would be beneficial, 27% saying it would not be beneficial, and 38% saying it would make no difference whether a man or woman is president. The results of Republican women track those of women who identify as very traditional in their political belief systems:
Ostensibly, these results look good for a potential woman candidate. However, a combined 38% say it would either not be beneficial or gender makes no difference. A woman presidential candidate would not be able to count on this segment of the voting population for support and would therefore have to broaden her appeal to attract at least 38% of men to compensate for this deficit.
Conclusions
Correlation is the one word take-away from the results of this survey.
Education levels correlate with income levels: The higher the education level, the higher the household income; the lower the education level, the lower the household income.
Belief systems correlate with income and education levels: Women who identify themselves as more progressive (moderate and liberal) tend to have higher education and household income levels; women who identify themselves as traditional (very traditional and somewhat traditional in their views about social issues) tend to have lower education and income levels.
Belief systems correlate with party affiliation: Women who describe themselves as traditionalists in their belief systems tend to be registered Republicans while women who describe themselves in more progressive terms tend to be registered as Democrats.
Electing a Woman President: Sixty-two percent of women over 50 say it would be beneficial for a woman to be elected president, however, there is an enthusiasm gap broken by education, party registration, and belief systems. Women with higher education levels, Democrats, and progressives are more enthusiastic at the prospect of a woman in office. Republican women and those who tend to be more traditional in their political views are less enthusiastic, with 66% of these two groups saying it would not be beneficial or make no difference.
Political Disparities Mirror Financial Disparities:
The data from this nationwide survey of +50-year-old women clearly illustrate the political factions currently embedded in the country. The problem, however, is that these political disparities translate to financial disparities. Sixty-two percent make less than $100,000, with 21% reporting less than $75,000. This finding is greater among women with less education and women who describe themselves as very traditional. Just 25% of survey respondents say they are living comfortably and can afford things their family needs and wants. This finding is more likely among women with advanced degrees, liberals, and those with incomes higher than $150,000. Thirty-four percent, or one-third of women ages 50 and older in the United States, are either just meeting basic living expenses or are forced to reside with other family members to make ends meet. (Among women whose household income is $50,000 or less, 49% say they are just able to meet basic needs and an additional 18% say they are forced to live with other family members.)
Thus, like the correlation between education and income, so do political views correlate with financial wellbeing.
Implications for Women Candidates
In 2023, several states passed referenda measures to protect abortion rights after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. Women’s groups and pundits felt this action would be the key to electing women to office in 2024. Most of the communications for these candidates were focused on appealing to women, targeting media to women audiences, and featuring stories about the difficulties women were facing accessing reproductive health care once the issue was relinquished to the states. Throughout the Presidential election, this strategy ignored other cross-pressures women were facing as well as providing reasons why men should also be moved by the significance of the abortion issue.
Why did this strategy fail? As the James Carville adage says, “It’s the economy, stupid.” The data from our national survey clearly indicates that a large percentage of women over 50 are feeling economic pressures. In addition, 46% of these women describe themselves as “traditional” in their views of social issues. The question becomes “How does a woman candidate appeal to women who have traditional social views and expand the percentage of men who will consider a woman candidate? As a friend of mine asked, “How does a pro-choice woman candidate use the abortion issue to appeal to a sixty-year-old woman who is a devout Catholic or Evangelical Christian?” The answer is they don’t.
Women running for national office (or other down-ballot races) should address the economic anxieties women are facing, including: (1) equal pay for equal work (which men also value because it increases their household income), (2) access to education and job training, (3) affordable healthcare, and (4) childcare so grandparents are not the primary source of daycare (our survey findings indicate 30% of grandparents say they are responsible for the care of grandchildren at least a couple of days a week while parents work). The data clearly shows that “being the woman candidate” is simply not sufficient to win.