The Gender Gap Isn't About Social Issues

IT IS no secret that support for Mitt Romney and Barack Obama breaks down differently among men and women. But while this “gender gap” is typically discussed in terms of Mr Romney’s stance on so-called "women’s issues", such as abortion rights and contraception coverage, the evidence indicates that it actually reflects partisan differences over the government's social-welfare programmes. Moreover, the source of the gender gap has less to do with women and more to do with men moving away from the Democratic Party.