Married women preferred Bush; unmarried women overwhelmingly preferred Gore. Why? Voting motivations are complex, but Gore promised more government protection, and unmarried women often seek the government as substitute husband-or substitute protector. In contrast, forty percent of married women do not work outside the home when their children are young. So the married woman is more likely to care about her husband's paycheck not being taxed, thus encouraging a vote for Bush (Bush's mode of being a married woman's protector is to protect her husband's ability to protect). In different ways, both Gore and Bush sought to be women's protector, each receiving the greater support from the type of woman who felt most protected by him.

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