A man who uses misogynistic language and has been accused of sexual assault is soon to become the 45th president of the United States of America. For feminists desperate to see the country’s first female president, the result was devastating: how could someone with such disregard for women’s rights become leader?  Donald Trump boasted about being able to freely grope women because he is famous, and by the end of the race 12 different women had come forward to accuse him of sexual assault. He also suggested during his campaign that women should face “some form of punishment” for having abortions, before backtracking and saying states and Congress should take the lead with lawmaking on this matter. After the publication of a video in which he describes “grabbing women by the pussy”, experts – and many non-experts – predicted that he’d lost the female vote. But this turned out to be incorrect.  It is a mistake to believe a feminist must support someone because of their anatomy and not their actions  According to CNN exit polls, 53% of white women voted for Trump. Those without a college degree supported Trump over Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton by nearly two to one. White women with a college degree only narrowly voted in favour of Clinton by six percentage points. By contrast, 94% of black women and 68% of Latinas voted for Clinton.  Some feminists are finding it difficult to comprehend why women weren’t so offended by Trump’s misogyny that they voted for Clinton en mass. We interviewed women across America to find out why they voted for Trump and why they describe themselves as feminists. Here’s what they said.  Government worker Laura, who lives in the much fought-over state of Florida, voted for Trump. She describes herself as socially moderate, financially independent and educated.  “Every female I know, either friends or co-workers – except for one – voted for Trump. I want to show it was not only men or non-college educated citizens that voted Trump. I am an economic conservative who is registered as a non-party affiliate. I feel that Trump has the best economic polices to create jobs and therefore rebuild the economy.  “I truly thought [the video of Trump] was, as it’s been dubbed, ‘locker-room talk’. Having two brothers, boyfriends, and a fiance, I can make an educated guess that all heterosexual men have bragged about their exploits with women to another man at some point.  “I believe in equality between the sexes. I have the right and capability to make my own decisions, and live the life I choose for myself. Because I am a feminist I know and exercised my right not to be put in a box or voting group and to freely think and make my own judgment as to who I thought would be the best candidate for president. It is a mistake to believe a feminist must support someone because of their anatomy and not their actions. A feminist does not blindly do what she is told or expected, she thinks and makes her own choices.  “I thought the sexual allegations were unsubstantiated and therefore equivalent to rumours and campaign mudslinging. If these women had truly been assaulted why wait until one month before the election to come forward – to the press not the authorities.  “I thought it incredibly hypocritical to characterise him as a sexual predator when we know for a fact that Bill Clinton is one, and Hillary helped him cover it up through libel and slander of the women who did come forward. This didn’t change my opinion about him, except for maybe a more sympathetic attitude and feeling that the media was treating him unfairly.  “A person’s gender has no bearing whatsoever in their qualifications for a job, including the presidency. Hillary was not clear as to what her policies as president would be, except to maybe continue with the same failed practices. Her policies would not have helped our depressed and stagnant economy. I believe Trump’s plans for job creation benefits everyone, including minority groups. I also ascribe, and have for a long time, to a more isolationist foreign policy.”  Trump voter Alyssa, a mother of two boys who is currently not employed, calls herself a feminist “on most things”, but she is fiercely opposed to voting for someone based on gender alone. Instead she backed Trump, who shares her own beliefs including not raising taxes. Her home state of Ohio – a mix of rust-belt, big-city Appalachia, farmland and suburbs; more white and less educated than the national mean – voted for Trump.  “At some things I would be a feminist. But it doesn’t mean I vote for someone because she has a vagina. I’ve always voted Republican and always support the party.  They pushed a female candidate through to break the glass ceiling of a perceived gender equality bias  “At the end of the day [the video of Trump] did not affect my support for him. What he says and what he does don’t matter in those senses because I’m looking for somebody that has the same beliefs as I do in running a country. At the end of the day we’re all sinners and we all say things like this. It isn’t uncommon. We act like the president of United States should be some holy person.  “We can go through all the US presidents and you will see sexual dysfunctions in all of their personal lives, even Hillary’s husband had an affair. At the end of the day, my husband’s sex life does not involve his work life and my sex life does not involve my day-to-day life. These women that came out about Trump could have been hoping for media attention, or maybe just simply paid by Hillary to make her criminal issues look smaller.  “I’m not going to vote for somebody because of their gender or race. There is nothing other than whether they can run the country or not.”  After Republican nominee Ben Carson was knocked out of the presidential race, Heather Brown backed Trump. Brown believes that under Trump the US economy will prosper and the average American will be able to succeed in areas where they are currently struggling: home ownership, work and finance. She says that Trump isn’t the misogynist he’s reported to be.  “I really just felt like they pushed a female candidate through to break the glass ceiling of a perceived gender equality bias. Politics can be unscrupulous. It demands you constantly remember that behind every door lives a pushed agenda you are meant to follow without thinking. You have to seek both sides, look at every angle and excise the fragments of truth.  I’m an intelligent, fully capable woman. I simply prefer the leadership of a strong male  “Voting is a great privilege that ultimately impacts the trajectory of a nation. When I make such important decisions I do not make them so lightly as to base them on race or gender. I voted on like-mindedness, research, shared philosophy, belief compatibility and frankly hope.  “Trump got a lot more airtime than Carson, who was polite and played by the rules. Carson was too quiet for a nation that chases tornadoes and is captivated by blazes. Trump’s failings humanise him and make him relatable. . There’s a lot more riding on this presidency than political correctness.  “I’m a throwback, which naturally lends itself to traditional femininity. I’ve always been attracted to alpha males. But then, after the popularity of 50 Shades of Grey, I’m hardly alone. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an intelligent, fully capable woman. I simply prefer the leadership of a strong male.”  Lena Smith, a white woman from a middle-class background who is pro-women’s rights, voted for Trump. Smith lives in New Jersey – a state with an above-average median income, and a less than average white population of 57.8%. She and only one other of her friends admitted to voting for Trump.  Smith describes herself as living in a “bubble”, protected from many of the problems striking average Americans: she has enough money, a good job and security. She voted for change, specifically for those in the midwest like her cousins, who are struggling.  “Despite being a Republican, I’d have preferred to vote for Bernie Sanders over Trump. It all boiled down to not being able to vote for Hillary. The election wasn’t about who you wanted to in the White House, it was more about who you didn’t want in the White House.  “People would privately confess to me that they couldn’t vote for Hillary. She felt like a continuation of a politics that wasn’t working. It was due to lack of trust and a steadfast resistance to more corruption and collusion with big money and foreign governments in Washington.  “I would like to see a woman as president, but would like one who is not part of a charitable foundation that has taken large donations from big money around the globe and from foreign governments, many of which do not have America’s best interests at heart.  “I see issues for women as well as other minorities as very important; however, in this election, national as well global security in terms of terrorism, the economy and jobs for Americans were key issues. It was easy for me to make up my mind, but I can’t say I’m a Trump supporter.”
We were wrong to presume women would vote for Hillary Clinton because of her gender. Here’s why Trump supporters still call themselves feminists