Within the opening minutes of her lecture, Professor Oxley defined the gender gap as the tendency of men and women to vote differently in elections, due to the stronger Democratic propensities of women, and the affinity of men for Republicans. Women are more likely to identify with Democrats than men because of the difference in the ideologies of the parties. Women identify with social welfare and compassion issues that are associated with the Democratic Party. Female voters have exhibited great consistency in this trend over the years. Different attitudes create different votes.
Women are more economically vulnerable than men because of their lower socio-economic status.
A women's role as a mother also affects and impacts her preferences. A common misconception people have is that women focus more on the personality of a candidate and have more emotional concerns than men do. This is a stereotype about women that is not true in the realm of elections. Professor Oxley used President Clinton to explain the effects of candidates on the gender gap. When candidates appeal either directly or indirectly to a particular sex, the gender gap grows.