Gender and Voting Behaviour in the Lead Up to the UK General Election 2024

Traditionally, in the UK, women have been more likely than men to vote Conservative, whilst men have been more likely than women to vote Labour. Yet in recent general elections, this gender gap in voting behaviour has reversed, with women now leaning to the left of men in their vote choice. As the gender gap has shifted, parties have increasingly recognised the importance of women voters and have competed for their votes. The lead up to the 2024 General Election is no exception and has seen women voters at the fore of the election campaign, with the ‘Stevenage Woman’ – a fictional key voter – at the centre of Labour Party strategy. In this presentation, Anna Sanders explores the key issues in the run-up to the 2024 UK General Election, and their implications for gender differences in voting behaviour. About the Speaker: Anna Sanders is an Assistant Professor in British Politics at the University of York. Her research brings together the areas of gender, policies and voting behaviour, with a core interest in how policy offers shape gender gaps in vote choice. She has published on these themes in the Journal of European Public Policy, the Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, and the British Journal of Politics and International Relations. She is currently working on a monograph, ‘Winning Women’s Votes: Gendered Policies and Campaigns in Britain’.