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gender gap

American  

noun

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


gender gap Cultural  
  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.


gender gap Idioms  
  1. 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]


Etymology

Origin of gender gap

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

However, both these figures represented a small closing of the gender gap.

From BBC Aug. 4, 2026

The UK was ranked fourth in the World Economic Forum's global gender gap index in 2025, which attributed its position to the proportion of women in parliament and in senior roles in the workplace.

From BBC Mar. 5, 2026

The gender gap is wider in influential positions, such as economics department chairs and the editorial board members of economics journals.

From Salon Feb. 28, 2026

As a result, the widening gender gap will shrink Gen Z’s dating pool, increasing singlehood.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 27, 2026

Census Bureau reported in 2002 that there are nearly 3 million more black adult women than men in black communities across the United States, a gender gap of 26 percent.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

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