gender gap

noun

1. the differences between women and men, especially as reflected in social, political, intellectual, cultural, or economic attainments or attitudes.

gender gap

1. A phrase marking the trend in recent U.S. presidential elections, whereby more female than male voters support the Democratic party candidate and more male than female voters support the Republican party candidate.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gender gap¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Idioms and Phrases

A broad difference between men and women, as in There is still an enormous gender gap in the wages of unskilled labor. This expression at first referred to the difference between men and women in voting preferences. It has since been extended to other areas. [1970s]