Welcome to the Media Round Up! This week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories.

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Study Finds Women Politicians Are Judged More Harshly Than Men
Durham University

According to a new study from Durham University’s School of Government and International Affairs, female politicians who deviate from their party’s expectations or views are judged more harshly than men by voters. The study created a fictional congressional campaign and election, and participants were asked to vote for the candidate of their choice; when candidates’ policies aligned with those of their party, it had minimal impact on voting choices. When the fictitious candidate’s policy stances deviated from their party, however, “striking differences” emerged: the women candidates saw a steep drop in voter preference, while the male candidates did not. The study found that women candidates are subject to greater overall scrutiny from voters, and therefore must work harder to “prove their ability to represent voters effectively.”

State Bills Would Require Passport or Birth Certificate to Register to Vote
Ms. Magazine, Andrew Garber, Connie Wu, and Catherine Silvestri

Across the country, state legislatures are now considering bills that would require Americans to present a birth certificate or passport to register to vote. While these policies claim to prevent widespread voting fraud, this type of legislation would actually block “tens of millions” of American citizens from voting because they lack access to the required documents. These policies could be a particularly significant barrier for women, if they changed their last name upon marriage and cannot produce documents, such as a passport, to demonstrate citizenship. Lawmakers in at least twenty-seven states have introduced at least one bill that would require some or all voters to show citizenship documents to vote, but only Indiana and Wyoming have enacted these laws. These requirements pose a massive burden for election officials and voters alike.

Gen Z Men, Women Have a Deep Political Divide. It’s Made Dating a Nightmare
USA Today, Charles Trepany

Gen Z hopeless romantics are navigating a dating landscape marked by stark political polarization between men and women. An NBC News poll found the partisan divide between men and women ages 18 to 29 to be wider than any other age range, with 53 percent of Gen Z women identifying as Democrats, compared to only 35 percent of Gen Z men. This polarization became incredibly apparent during the 2024 presidential election – Gen Z men turned out en masse to support President Donald Trump, while the majority of Gen Z women voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris. Deep political divisions have become an “increasingly fraught” topic in the dating world, with many Gen Zers unwilling to date across the aisle. While relationship experts agree that it’s possible for those with different political views to share a connection, they must still share “core values” and “treat each other with respect.”

How a ‘Wall of Determined Black Women’ Rallied for Harris One Year Ago
The 19th, Grace Panetta

When former President Joe Biden announced that he was stepping down as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee and endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him, Black women led the party to coalesce behind her. That same evening, more than 44,000 Black women raised over $1.5 million for Harris’ campaign in under two hours. The 19th spoke to several leading Black women in Democratic politics about their recollections of that historic day. For some, like Aimee Allison, founder and president of She The People, seeing someone like Harris become the Democratic presidential nominee had been a “far-off dream.” For others, like Jara Butler of Supermajority, a grassroots organization focused on building a multiracial coalition of young progressive women, Black women finally “threw the gauntlet down” and “it was something that they couldn’t ignore.” Though Harris’ eventual loss to Trump during the general election devastated Black women, many “reflect on the lessons learned in 2024 – and want to carry the energy, power, and enthusiasm they capture into 2026 and beyond.”

‘A Long Train of Abuses’ – And a Long Road Ahead: 177 Years After Seneca Falls
Ms. Magazine, Cynthia Richie Terrell

This week marks the 177th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, where Quakers, abolitionists, and community members convened for the first women’s rights conference in the United States. The convention eventually resulted in the Declaration of Sentiments, which called for equality between men and women, a woman’s right to cast a ballot, own property, and to divorce. Though significant progress has been made since 1848, barriers like systemic sexism and racism still prevent women from reaching equitable political representation; additionally, while more women are serving in Congress and local leadership than ever before, they still hold a minority of elected positions. As we observe Women’s Equality Day on August 28th (see the Editor’s Note above), one might consider the current landscape for women’s political rights, and how far we still have to go.

Women’s Reproductive Rights Under the Trump Administration
The Trump administration intends to use funds from a federal family planning program known as Title X to ramp up efforts to help aspiring mothers get pregnant. The first sign of this change came last week, when a little-noticed government website posted a $1.5 million grant to start an infertility training center that would promote “holistic” approaches to fighting infertility, such as menstrual cycle education classes. Since Title X has historically focused on providing contraception, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, and offering pregnancy tests, advocates were “surprised and concerned” when they noticed the announcement on the government website; many fear that putting a greater spotlight on infertility in Title X clinics would mean less money for birth control for women seeking to avoid pregnancy. Since the Trump administration has already put women’s health at particular risk by making drastic cuts to federal programs that protect their reproductive health, this concern is not unfounded. The administration has made it more difficult for women to access family planning, maternal health care, and fertility treatment, and it has tightened access to abortion care and maternal health disease detection and prevention.

More Men Are Returning to the Office. Here’s Why That Matters for Women.
Yahoo! Finance, Kerry Hannon

According to the Department of Labor, men are returning to the office in far greater numbers than women: in 2024, 29 percent of employed men reported working from home, compared to approximately 36 percent of women. These numbers are likely a result of return-to-office mandates and initiatives in male-dominated industries such as tech and finance. This could pose a considerable problem for women seeking to climb the corporate ladder, as nearly nine in ten CEOs stated in a 2024 survey that they will “reward employees who make an effort to come into the office with favorable assignments, raises, or promotions.” The gender pay gap could possibly widen if in-office attendance is a prerequisite for pay bumps. For more information on the topic, WPI will be hosting “The Broken Rung,” panel on September 10, which will explore the barriers that women face in their careers. Save the Date!