"Republicans are on the wrong side of a gender gap" and similar fallacies

[tpfkaw]

Yeah, this is one of my pet peeves as well.  The "gender gap" is just the differential between how men vote vs. how women vote.  By definition, it doesn't confer either side with an advantage, since all that matters is the total vote.  I think you're right that people are misled by the assumption that men should be considered the "default" group, which is of course nonsense.

Indeed, since women vote at a slightly higher rate than men, they should be considered the "default group," if anything.

[tpfkaw]

Is there some subconscious sexism, the idea that men are treated as the "default" group and so we think of the "male vote" as being roughly synonymous with the overall vote, but the "female vote" as a separate category?

This is the best explanation. Also, given that most leaders (of each party) are male, it can indicate the GOP's failure to appeal to women.

But the point of this thread is that it is equally valid to say it indicates the Democrats' failure to appeal to men (indeed, more so, since men deviate from the average slightly more than women).