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Gender gap in the voting booth: Political gulf between young men and women

Published: 13 Mar. 2025, 00:03

Kim Jung-ha

The author is an editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo.

The stark political divide between men and women in Korea’s younger generation, a significant factor in the 2022 presidential election, is once again coming to the forefront amid calls for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment. During an impeachment rally in Yeouido on Dec. 14 of last year, women in their 20s and 30s accounted for 27.1 percent of participants, while men in the same age group made up only 9.9 percent, according to an analysis by the JoongAng Ilbo using population mobility data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and KT. Meanwhile, in the Jan. 19 West Seoul District Court riot, where police arrested 90 individuals on the spot, 46 of them, or 51.1 percent, were from the "20-30 generation." While police did not disclose the gender of those arrested, circumstantial evidence suggests that the vast majority were men.

People wearing Yonsei University and Korea University varsity jackets are in prayer at a rally against the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol in Yeouido, western Seoul, on March. 1. [NEWS1]

At this point, the political divergence between men and women in their 20s and 30s is so pronounced that referring to the 20-30 generation as a monolithic group has become almost meaningless — at least in the political realm. It would be akin to lumping together voters from the conservative Yeongnam region and the progressive Honam region under a broad “southern region” label, which may work for weather forecasts but not for elections. Among those over 40, there is little variation in political preferences between men and women. The gendered polarization of the 20-30 generation is a phenomenon previously unseen in Korean society. Traditionally, political trends have been analyzed through the lenses of region and age, but from now on, gender will be an indispensable factor in any electoral calculus.

Students protest for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol at the Minju Plaza in Korea University in Seongbuk District, central Seoul, on Feb. 21. [NEWS1]

Political alignment remains consistent among older generations

A closer look at public opinion data supports this trend. Among Korea’s major polling agencies, Gallup Korea is the only one that publicly discloses specific data on both age and gender.

In its February polling, the firm found that among voters in their 40s and 50s, both men and women overwhelmingly support the Democratic Party (DP), while among those in their 60s and older, support leans decisively toward the People Power Party (PPP), with little gender disparity. This suggests that political preferences remain largely uniform across genders in these age groups.

In stark contrast, the 20-30 generation exhibits a clear gender divide — young men favor the conservative PPP, while young women strongly support the liberal DP.

This political bifurcation within the younger generation first emerged as a major issue in the 2022 presidential election. According to exit polls by Korea’s three major broadcasters, men in their 20s supported DP candidate Lee Jae-myung at 36.3 percent and PPP candidate Yoon Suk Yeol at 58.7 percent, whereas women in the same age group favored Lee at 58 percent and Yoon at 33.8 percent. Among voters in their 30s, men were relatively evenly split, with 42.6 percent backing Lee and 52.8 percent supporting Yoon, while women still leaned toward Lee at 49.7 percent versus 43.8 percent for Yoon. In contrast, older generations displayed little gender-based variation in their candidate preferences.

Traditionally, voters in their 20s and 30s have been perceived as leaning progressive. However, in 2022, young men upended this longstanding assumption by swinging conservative, a shift that proved crucial to Yoon’s razor-thin 0.7 percentage point victory. The figurehead of this young male conservative movement was Lee Jun-seok, then-chairman of the PPP. But after Yoon’s inauguration, his administration sidelined Lee, leading many young men to withdraw their support. This erosion of 20-30 male backing contributed to the ruling party’s crushing defeat in last year’s general election.

Some analysts argue that the shift among young men began as early as the 2017 presidential election. At the time, Moon Jae-in’s overwhelming victory left little room for demographic analysis, but preelection polls showed that men in their 20s were notably less supportive of Moon compared to other groups. Over time, this trend extended to those into their 30s.

Young men’s backlash against ‘Female Privilege’

What accounts for this stark gender divide in the 20-30 generation? According to Kim Han-na, a professor at Jinju National University of Education, “Young men do not believe that women of their generation have been disadvantaged, which fuels resentment toward policies aimed at gender equity.” She added, “Regardless of how much feminism was actually implemented, President Moon Jae-in’s self-identification as a feminist was enough to trigger significant backlash among young men.”

Kim also pointed out that the DP’s stance on feminism appeared inconsistent. When former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was accused of sexual misconduct, the party’s perceived attempts to shield him from accountability deepened young men’s disillusionment with progressive politics.

An antifeminist rally held on Nov. 15, 2020, with a slogan that reads, ″Feminism=Mental dillusion″ [YONHAP]

Interestingly, this gendered political split is not unique to Korea but part of a global trend. According to The Guardian, in last year’s U.S. presidential election, 56 percent of men aged 18–29 supported Republican candidate Donald Trump, while 42 percent backed Democrat Kamala Harris. Among women in the same age group, 58 percent favored Harris, with only 40 percent supporting Trump. Similarly, in Germany’s parliamentary elections last month, the far-right Alternative for Germany party received the highest level of support among men aged 18–24 at 25 percent, whereas women in that demographic overwhelmingly backed the far-left Left Party to the tune of 34 percent. International media outlets have noted that young men are increasingly resistant to feminist values, with social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram playing a role in deepening ideological divides through algorithm-driven content. These same factors are at play in Korea.

Korea’s mandatory military service system further exacerbates gender tensions. Unlike previous generations, today’s young men are actively questioning why conscription applies only to them. Last year, The Financial Times linked Korea’s extreme gender divide to its low birthrate, warning that “Korea’s case serves as a cautionary tale for other countries about what happens when young men and women drift apart.”

A key voting bloc in a potential early presidential election

Despite the deepening gender divide among young voters, political parties have so far responded with only superficial and short-term strategies. As a candidate, Yoon sought to appeal to disaffected young men by promising to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, a move that sparked as much backlash among young women as it did enthusiasm among young men. Meanwhile, DP candidate Lee attempted to court young women by recruiting activist Park Ji-hyun, only for the alliance to collapse after the election, drawing accusations that the party used young politicians as disposable assets.

Should an early presidential election take place this year, the gender divide within the 20-30 generation is poised to be a key electoral battleground. However, this group also has a high proportion of swing voters — 40 percent of men and women in their 20s identify as unaffiliated, as do 26 percent of men and 25 percent of women in their 30s. Compared to older generations, where party loyalties are more entrenched, young voters remain highly persuadable. How Korea’s political parties navigate this gendered divide will be a critical factor in upcoming elections.

Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.