Another election in the US, another defeat for women. The White House has been led by a man for almost 250 years and will continue to be so for at least four more years. For the Democratic Party, it's time to lick their wounds. For the jubilant Republicans, it's time to shake up the establishment. They are already at it. But the failure of Vice President Kamala Harris on November 5th is particularly frustrating for many American women - the majority (53%) supported the Democrat at the polls - because, among many other things, it brings back to power a politician convicted of sexual abuse who has filled the campaign with misogynistic insults against his opponent.
The Abortion Ruling that Marked a Turning Point
The reaction to the Republican victory is, of course, a matter of ideology, priorities, of what each person considers progress or setback. But we start from a precedent that has shaped social debate in the United States: the dismantling by the Supreme Court of the historic ruling known as Roe vs. Wade, which since 1973 guaranteed the right to abortion in the country. A decision that Trump has boasted about because it was he who nominated the judges who now make up the conservative majority in the high court.
How far the next occupant of the White House will go in limiting women's reproductive rights is as unpredictable as he is, but what is clear is that 24 hours after the election results favored the Republican, providers of contraceptive methods and the morning-after pill reported a surge in orders and website visits, as reported by the American press.
The Washington Post was also surprised when asking its female readers for their reaction to the election results. Within 48 hours, it received over 5,600 responses from women aged 12 to 94. Among them, there was joy and rejoicing, yes, but the most repeated words were, in this order, 'rights', 'fear', 'disappointment', 'sadness', and 'abortion'.
An "avalanche of emotions." This is how Caceres-born Julia Domínguez, a professor at the University of Delaware, describes the feelings she had the day after the elections. "I found myself crying with my 13-year-old daughter Victoria, and she said something that deeply marked me: she felt that, from that moment on, her rights as a woman would be limited and subject to the decisions of a group of middle-aged white men, full of prejudices. It was a tough moment as a mother." Her older daughter, 17, even expressed her desire to move to Spain, "seeking an environment where her rights and freedoms are better protected," says Domínguez, a professor of Hispanic Philology.
Fear of the Next Generation Losing Rights
From the city of San Antonio, a blue island within the red stronghold of Texas, Meghann Peace, a linguist and university lecturer, expresses herself in almost the same way. "We are afraid that our daughters will have fewer rights than we mothers have in this political reality." In her city, where 60% of the population identifies as Latino, Peace illustrates with examples the implications that the re-election of Trump is already having. From an undocumented young woman - it is estimated that nearly 12 million people live in this situation in the United States - who has moved up her wedding before January out of fear of the mass deportations promised by Trump to a friend who will not receive his year-end bonus because his company is preparing for the arrival of new tariffs. "It will affect all of us. Not only women and other minorities. It's just that some people realize it, and others still don't."
At least for the first two years, until the next midterm elections, there is no doubt that Trump will make use of the political capital granted to him by the voters. It is worth noting that the Republican leader not only garnered more votes in the electoral college than Kamala Harris (312 vs. 226), but also secured 51% of the popular vote (about seven million more votes than the vice president). Eight years ago, against Hillary Clinton, he only obtained 46% of the popular vote. And it's not just that he is more comfortable with the reins of power, but this time he also has the invaluable help of a Congress dominated by Republicans. This gives him the power to advance without any qualms towards an agenda that could have profound consequences for the country. American Caroline Hancock, who works at the Franklin Institute of the University of Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), emphasizes that "the impact of having control of both chambers could be very significant, especially combined with those appointments of loyal individuals to his cabinet that we have seen in recent days."
In Vitro Fertilization at Risk
Many of the social battles will also be fought in each of the states. "In the South, there are some where it is almost impossible to have an abortion," points out Hancock, who notes that many liberal women fear the prohibition of in vitro fertilization and other restrictions on their reproductive rights. For Julia Domínguez, the effects will not stop there, as it is foreseeable that Trump will also seek to influence educational and social policies. "He is a leader who now fully understands the magnitude of what he has achieved, who his allies are, and who opposes his agenda. This clarity and his new position of strength make him an even more dangerous president. His measures promise to be more extreme than in his previous term," she explains.
The lawyer Miriam González Durántez, founder of Inspiring Girls, an international organization that advocates for women's visibility, also speaks with concern about other "substantial changes" in American society. This is what González, the wife of former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, explains as "a return to the appeal of masculine values, such as bravery and courage, closely linked to the image of the man as the family provider and the woman as the one dedicated to caregiving." A narrative that has been embraced by Elon Musk, the world's richest man, who has become a ubiquitous figure in Trump's transition team and, with 12 children from three different women, is a staunch advocate of the need to increase the world's population. "I attribute it to the strength of the family dream in American psychology, a society much more prone to stereotypes that promote that vision of man and woman. Clearly, there has been a reaction to gender ideology among those who have supported Trump, and many people feel comfortable with that narrative and openly talk about it."
Women: They Will Protect You Whether You Like It or Not
This paternalism is another way to fuel polarization. Trump revealed himself during the campaign when he said that he would protect women "whether they like it or not." Although some felt offended, others found that message appealing. "The ideals we seek in a leader are not the same for men as they are for women, and they are not the same in the US as they are in Spain," Miriam González reminds us. "Values in a nation are dynamic and can evolve over time, reflecting the experiences and aspirations of its population," notes María Díaz de la Cebosa, president of the Robert Kennedy Spain Foundation, which promotes human rights and the legacy of the former Attorney General and brother of President JFK. Díaz de la Cebosa emphasizes the importance of recognizing that there is a variety of opinions on what these values represent and how they manifest in current politics: "Fostering a dialogue about these differences can help find common ground."
It is a fact. Women did not vote on November 5th as a uniform block. In fact, three conclusions can be drawn from the results that have shifted the country to the right. The first, as we mentioned at the beginning: they leaned towards the Democratic candidate, although it is true that by a smaller margin than in the previous elections.