Young American Women Want to Leave the U.S.
A new Gallup poll has revealed that an unprecedented number of young women in the United States are considering permanently relocating. The survey, published Thursday, indicates that 40% of women aged 15 to 44 would move to another country if given the opportunity. In contrast, only 19% of men in the same age range expressed the same desire, marking the largest gender gap recorded by Gallup.
This trend has been evident for over a decade. Back in 2014, just 17% of young women reported wanting to leave the country. Interest noticeably spiked in 2016, coinciding with the end of former President Obama’s second term, and has persisted through the subsequent administrations of Trump and Biden.
Looking at marital status, predictions have become increasingly unpredictable. In the 2024-2025 survey, 41% of married women and 45% of unmarried women expressed a desire to emigrate, a jump from 22% and 38% respectively in the previous year.
Though younger women are still more inclined to depart than their older counterparts, the latter group is now more likely than older men to consider leaving. In 2025, 14% of women over 45 plan to leave the country compared to 8% of men, reversing a previous trend where fewer women expressed this intention.
This gender divide was reflected in the recent elections, where young women largely supported Democratic candidates. For instance, 81% of young women backed Abigail Spanberger in Virginia. In comparison, young men showed less enthusiasm—only 58% supported Spanberger.
Overall, around 60% of young women align with the Democratic Party, compared to 39% of men, according to Gallup data.
At the heart of this phenomenon seems to be a significant loss of trust in key American institutions, particularly among women. Since 2015, there has been a notable decline in their confidence in government, the judiciary, and the military, with a drop of 17 points overall. Trust diminished sharply after the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, with confidence in the court plummeting from 55% to 32%.
