Poll: Liberal Woman Far Less Likely Than Conservative Woman To Call Extramarital Affair Wrong
The American Lookout Headlines homepage has 60 new headlines every 24 hours - click here to see it.
According to a new poll, liberal women are far less likely than conservative women to say having an extramarital fair is wrong.
The poll found that only 36% of liberal women say that a married woman having an affair is always wrong. 71% of Conservative women say it is always wrong for a woman to have an extramarital affair.
When judging women who engage in extramarital affairs, liberal women are far more willing than conservative women to withhold judgment. @dcoxpolls @AEI https://t.co/RdNp0yaGqT
— Brad Wilcox (@BradWilcoxIFS) November 1, 2022
This moral double standard varies among women from different backgrounds, but the gap is particularly large among liberal women. Only 36% of liberal women say it is always wrong for a woman to engage in an extramarital affair, while 57% say the same for men. Conservative women, by contrast, are somewhat less likely to judge men and women differently for committing infidelity—71% say it is always wrong for a woman to engage in an extramarital affair.
Why is the gender gap so pronounced among liberal women? Part of the reason liberal women are less inclined to believe infidelity is always wrong may lie in their distinct backgrounds and experiences. Liberals are far less religious than conservatives, meaning their views on morality are less rooted in a particular theology or religious belief system. Most religious traditions offer unambiguous messages about the ethics of romantic engagements outside of marriage. Additionally, research has shown that liberals and conservatives “display different profiles of moral concerns, with liberals placing a greater emphasis on moral relativism.”
Another explanation may have to do with the concept of gender-linked fate. Most liberal women believe that what happens to other women in the US impacts their own lives. More than 7 in 10 (71%) embrace this idea. Less than 1 in 3 (30%) conservative women, by contrast, express such strong feelings of gender solidarity. If liberal women empathize strongly with the experiences of other women, they may feel less comfortable judging their decisions, or at the very least hesitant to express universal condemnation.
This says a lot!
