FOR FREE PEOPLE

Watch The Free Press Live!

FOR FREE PEOPLE

When It Comes to Sex, My Generation Is Screwed

With today’s young men and women increasingly polarized over politics, Gen Z is facing a sexual apocalypse.

“Dating right now is just walking on eggshells, honestly,” Sam, a 25-year-old graduate student in D.C., tells me.

He said he hides his pro-life, non-MAGA, traditional Republican leanings by default—out of fear his dates, who are almost always on the left, might ghost him. 

“You just have to assume that most girls are progressive and constantly try to make sure you don’t say the wrong thing,” he told me. “On first dates I’m usually just trying to gauge where they’re coming from while obfuscating my views.”

Sam isn’t alone. 

Young singles today are facing a demographic disaster: while women have made a hard left turn in recent years, their male counterparts have taken a hard right one—with many refusing to date across party lines.

A new report in the Financial Times shows that American women aged 18–30 are 30 percent more liberal than men their age. According to another survey, a whopping 54 percent of women say they won’t date a conservative, and just listening to Joe Rogan or refusing to watch the Barbie movie is a red flag.

It’s a trend sweeping the world. In the UK, Germany, and South Korea, men are forking right while women head in the opposite direction. According to the Financial Times, the #MeToo movement was the catalyst, because it gave rise to “fiercely feminist values among young women who felt empowered to speak out against long-running injustices.” But seven years on, the divide between men and women in the wake of #MeToo has become calloused, creating new political lines.

As a result, the statistical odds of finding a Gen Z partner with compatible views is nosediving. Daters are being forced to choose between feeling ideologically compromised or going without sex. 

As a 23-year-old woman with openly libertarian views, I’ve seen the problem firsthand on the New York City dating scene—but from the flipside. I’ve been told I’m a “breath of fresh air” by men who feel they can finally let their political hair down on a date. At last, a living, breathing woman who won’t be offended!

“I’m socially liberal,” a venture capitalist I met on Hinge once confessed to me, glancing nervously around the room to make sure nobody was listening before leaning in for the zinger: “But I’m fiscally conservative.” 

He scoured my eyes for recognition, as though we were dissidents in Soviet Russia. Except we were two moderates splitting a plate of overpriced tuna tartare in a trendy West Village bar.

I wasn’t surprised that a man who works in finance is a fan of capitalism, but I understood his relief. 

Maintaining The Free
Press is Expensive!

To support independent journalism, and unlock all of our investigative stories and provocative commentary about the world as it actually is, subscribe below.

Subscriber Benefits:

  • Unlimited articles including weekly columns
  • Early access to live events
  • Access to the comments section

Already have an account? Sign in

our Comments

Use common sense here: disagree, debate, but don't be a .

the fp logo
comment bg

Welcome to The FP Community!

Our comments are an editorial product for our readers to have smart, thoughtful conversations and debates — the sort we need more of in America today. The sort of debate we love.   

We have standards in our comments section just as we do in our journalism. If you’re being a jerk, we might delete that one. And if you’re being a jerk for a long time, we might remove you from the comments section. 

Common Sense was our original name, so please use some when posting. Here are some guidelines:

  • We have a simple rule for all Free Press staff: act online the way you act in real life. We think that’s a good rule for everyone.
  • We drop an occasional F-bomb ourselves, but try to keep your profanities in check. We’re proud to have Free Press readers of every age, and we want to model good behavior for them. (Hello to Intern Julia!)
  • Speaking of obscenities, don’t hurl them at each other. Harassment, threats, and derogatory comments that derail productive conversation are a hard no.
  • Criticizing and wrestling with what you read here is great. Our rule of thumb is that smart people debate ideas, dumb people debate identity. So keep it classy. 
  • Don’t spam, solicit, or advertise here. Submit your recommendations to tips@thefp.com if you really think our audience needs to hear about it.
Close Guidelines

Latest