But is persuading women that their "freedoms" are infringed the way to earn the women's vote? Brooks thinks not. He cites polling data to make his point. "Outside the Democratic base, the message of oppression appears to have little resonance. Republican women are seven percentage points more likely than Democratic women to say they feel free," he says. "And the mixture of gender and politics makes the freedom difference explode: Democratic men are two-thirds more likely than Republican women to say they do not have a great deal of freedom."
If there is a gender gap at all, it's most likely to be played out between single women and married women with families. It's hardly a surprise that women with kids feel slightly less encumbered than those without children. Mothers are still most responsible for their care. But what might surprise a lot of Americans is that married women -- by 10 percentage points -- are more likely to say they feel "free" than single women.
Democratic politicians fret over the glass ceiling and abortion on demand, but most ordinary women see freedom in being able to make choices for themselves, and think America offers the most freedom of opportunity. The Democrats focus on the so-called lack of freedom because they know what the statisticians have found, that the perception of freedom directly correlates with a sense of happiness and quality of life. A new Harris Poll, in fact, finds that a stunning 94 percent of all Americans are happy with their lives, and most say their lives have improved over the past five years. Only in the Northeast does a majority say their lives have soured (this may be The New York Times effect).
We'll find out why this is so over the next 14 months. Candidates should beware, lest they fall into a gender gap of their own making.