As conservative organizations are carefully curating messaging about femininity, marriage, and traditional values, the data tells a different story: feminism remains remarkably popular among young women.
That reality stands in sharp contrast to the messaging on display at Turning Point USA’s Young Women’s Leadership Summit, held on June 5-7 in San Antonio, Texas. The conference brought together over 2,000 attendees and conservative influencers including Erika Kirk, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Alex Clark, and others.
Rather than focusing primarily on policy, speakers emphasized faith, motherhood, wellness, femininity, and what many described as the failures of modern feminism.
The summit reflects a growing strategy among conservative organizers to attract young women through lifestyle content rather than traditional political organizing. Dubbed the “pink pill pipeline,” this is a pathway that introduces conservative politics through wellness culture, dating advice, and discussions about traditional gender roles.
Yet while anti-feminist rhetoric has gained visibility online, research continues to show that young women remain one of the strongest constituencies for feminism.
As of 2025, 58% of women globally identify as feminists, and in the United States, 51% of people across genders identify as feminists. Among Gen Z women, that number climbs to 53%, compared with just 32% of Gen Z men, highlighting a growing gender divide among young Americans.
The findings challenge the narrative that young women are turning away from feminism and are turning towards the “tradwife” phenomena. In fact, younger women consistently report higher levels of feminist identification than older generations. While 39% of Baby Boomer women identify as feminists, the figure rises to 53% among Gen Z women.
Polling also suggests that perceptions of feminism depend heavily on how the question is asked. Only 29% of American women identified as feminists when simply asked whether they considered themselves one. However, when given a definition of feminism as “someone who advocates and supports equal opportunities for women,” 61% of American women identified as feminists.
The discrepancy suggests that many women support feminist principles even if they do not always embrace the label itself. A 2020 Pew Research survey found that 61% of American women said the term “feminist” describes them at least somewhat well, including 68% of women ages 18 to 29. The same survey found that majorities of both Democrats and Republicans support equal rights for women, even when they do not identify as feminists.
At the same time, many women continue to experience gender inequality in their daily lives. Around 40% of American women report experiencing discrimination or unfair treatment because of their gender. More than half of U.S. women said men have it easier than women. However, globally, 87% agree that equality between women and men should be the norm.
Feminism or feminist-ideals continue to resonate with younger generations. While conservative influencers increasingly promote traditional gender roles as a path to fulfillment, many young women continue to see equality as relevant to their lives and futures. The evidence suggests that Gen Z is not abandoning feminism. If anything, young women are helping shape its next chapter.