I’m fed up and I’m moving out of the United States. How many times have we heard that, especially from celebrities, upset that President Donald Trump was elected and then re-elected to the Oval Office? Only a few have jumped ship to take up residence in another country, but the trend of wanting to leave America is growing – especially among younger women. A new Gallup poll found that 40% of women in the United States between the ages of 15 to 44 said they would permanently move to another country if they had the chance. Why do so many women want to leave the nation? Is it really all about politics?
Young Women Want to Leave
A growing number of younger American women are imagining their lives somewhere else. In 2014, when Gallup asked the same question, only 10% of women in the 15-to-44 age group said they wanted to seek greener pastures. That percentage is now four times higher, with one in five Americans saying they would like to leave the States for good.
Gallup stresses that its question measures desire, not concrete plans. Many people who say they would like to move abroad will never go. But the trend still signals a powerful shift in how younger women see their futures.
Gallup notes that the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, may have contributed to this decline in trust, especially in the courts. At the same time, the polling organization points out that younger women’s desire to leave was already rising before that ruling.
A Healthy Ambition?
But politics isn’t the only issue driving the desire to relocate. Health care costs are a recurring reason. Canada is the top destination named by younger American women since 2022, with 11% choosing it as their preferred country, possibly due to the subsidized health care system north of the border. New Zealand, Italy, and Japan follow.
Some Hollywood personalities, such as Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives), Ellen DeGeneres, Kurt Cobain’s widow Courtney Love, and Rosie O’Donnell, made good on their threats and moved to other countries. While many may claim they want to leave America, most end up staying for several reasons. Cost is one of the biggest hurdles, and most people don’t have celebrity bankrolls. It’s expensive to set up in a different country, especially if one wants to get citizenship there. Leaving jobs, family, and friends adds to the difficulties.
While more young women express a desire to leave the United States, most will not do so, whether by choice or for lack of resources. In many instances, the wish to relocate could just be an expression of frustration at their current circumstances. Despite America’s problems, it still has the most stable economy, best military defense, and the most freedom and liberty – difficult benefits to give up for a change of scenery and politics.
