Where do women and men stand in the presidential race?
What is the gender gap?
The gender gap is a measure of the difference in the voting behavior of men and women. The gender gap first became apparent in 1980, when women supported Ronald Reagan by only one percent; while men supported Reagan by 17 percent. The gap proved decisive in 1996, when a majority of women supported Bill Clinton, while a narrow plurality of men supported Bob Dole. The gender gap is also showing to be critical in this year's Presidential election.
Weekly Gallup Poll updates tracking Barack Obama support by gender
| Date of polling | Women supporting Obama | Men supporting Obama |
| September 8 - 14, 2008 | 48% | 41% |
| September 1 - 7, 2008 | 49% | 44% |
| August 25 - 31, 2008 | 51% | 46% |
| August 18 - 24, 2008 | 47% | 43% |
| August 11 - 17, 2008 | 49% | 42% |
| August 4 - 10, 2008 | 52% | 41% |
| July 28 - August 3, 2008 | 48% | 41% |
Weekly poll updates tracking Barack Obama support by gender
| Pollster | Date of polling | Women supporting Obama | Men supporting Obama |
| Research 2000 | September 15 - 17, 2008 | 54% | 44% |
| Diageo/Hotline | September 15 - 17, 2008 | 47%| 45% | |
| The Economist/You Gov | September 15 - 16, 2008 | 47% | 40% |
| CBS News/New York Times | September 12 - 16, 2008 | 54% | 42% |
| Quinnipiac University | September 11 - 16, 2008 | 54% | 43% |
| Diageo/Hotline | September 16 - 16, 2008 | 47% | 43% |
| Research 2000 | September 14 - 16, 2008 | 53% | 43%
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| Research 2000 | September 15 - 15, 2008 | 53% | 43% |
| Gallup | September 12 - 14, 2008 | 49% | 44% |
| CBS News/New York Times | September 8 - 8, 2008 | 42% | 46% |
| Hotline/FD Tracking | September 6 - 8, 2008 | 51% | 37% |
| Hotline/FD Tracking | September 5 - 7, 2008 | 48% | 44% |
| Gallup | September 2 - 4, 2008 | 51% | 46% |
| Democracy Corps | September 2 - 4 2008 | 53% | 45% |
