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]

Example Sentences

Italy currently ranks 85th in the Global Gender Gap Index, almost the lowest of all EU states, with just over half all women in employment, to name just one issue.

Read more on BBC

We see this gender gap in the votes, so this concerns me quite a lot: how to reach young men.

Read more on Slate

“The Republican Party is gonna have to learn how to close the gender gap,” Fox contributor Tomi Lahren said on X, “Stop lecturing women on how they should stay home and be wives and mothers. It’s not your business.”

Read more on Salon

According to the 2025 gender gap index by the World Economic Forum, Japan ranked 118th among 148 countries, with female representation in the field of politics notably low.

Read more on BBC

In 2017 she set up Girls Code, a non-profit association which aims to close the tech gender gap.

Read more on BBC