Independence, Government Dependence, and the Cultural Shift Among Young Women
By Killian Yates | Published November 7, 2025
Introduction
There is a cultural and political paradox unfolding: younger women are increasingly embracing policies that emphasize government intervention and collective social safety nets — while simultaneously living in a society that celebrates individual empowerment and independence. As a father and as someone who values self-reliance, I find this tension worth exploring. This post takes a hard look at the values at stake: independence vs. dependence, protection vs. vulnerability, self-responsibility vs. state-responsibility.
The Rise of Government-First Thinking
Data suggests a significant number of younger adults — including women — express favorable views toward socialism and more extensive government roles. For example, Cato Institute found that 62% of adults under 30 hold a favorable view of socialism. Another poll from Axios revealed that 55% of women aged 18-54 said they would prefer to live in a socialist country rather than a capitalist one.
This isn’t about demonizing anyone — but recognizing a shift: many are placing higher trust in collective systems rather than traditional models of personal responsibility or private initiative.
Independence, Family Roles, and Changing Expectations
Traditionally, the model was clear: men provided, protected, and supported; women nurtured, educated, and built the home. That paradigm has shifted — drastically. Many women now seek full participation in the workforce, pursue independence, manage families and careers. So when younger women support socialist-leaning policies, the question arises: are they aligning with the values of independence they claim to enjoy — or are they embracing a kind of dependency that undermines it?
From a father’s perspective: if you hope your daughter will be empowered, self-reliant, and able to protect herself — what message does embracing “the state will take care of it” send?
Safety, Policing, and the Question of Dependence
There are calls to defund the police and restrict guns, but if you remove protective structures and individual defense, what are you left with? That raises real concerns about vulnerability, especially for women who may face higher risk of physical assault or gender-based violence.
A movement toward dependence on state structures (or removal of certain protective structures) creates a dangerous gap: less personal protection combined with an assumption that the system will fill it. That gap deserves honest discussion.
Values Conflict: Self-Reliance vs. Collective Safety Nets
Let’s break this down:
- Self-Reliance: Taking personal control, building skills, saving, investing, protecting one’s own well-being.
- Collective Safety Net / Government Dependence: Expecting society or the state to handle healthcare, education, housing, or security.
If someone genuinely values independence and strength, then logically their policy preferences should align with structures that increase personal autonomy — not reduce it. Yet, according to Gallup, young women have increasingly shifted leftward, with liberal identification rising from 28% to 40% in the past two decades. That shows a genuine ideological realignment.
Why Might This Be Happening?
While the values tension is clear, understanding the causes is equally important:
- Economic and social insecurity may drive support for stronger government guarantees.
- Educational and cultural messaging often frames progressivism as synonymous with fairness and inclusion.
- As traditional provider roles evolve, many view government as filling that void of stability.
- Social media and peer networks reinforce collective solutions over individual resilience.
Recognizing these influences doesn’t weaken the argument — it strengthens it. It allows the discussion to move from judgment to understanding.
The Risks & What’s at Stake
- Security: Weakening protective structures while increasing dependency leaves individuals — especially women — vulnerable.
- Economic Independence: Overreliance on the state can stifle entrepreneurship and personal growth.
- Cultural Role Models: If the government becomes the default provider, it reshapes expectations for family and personal responsibility.
- Freedom of Choice: Dependency often means less flexibility and more control by bureaucratic systems.
A Message to Young Men: Strength Isn’t Silence
If we’re asking women to embrace independence, men must grow into a strength that makes space for it. Too often, men retreat from these conversations, afraid of being labeled for speaking about women’s issues. But genuine respect for women’s independence requires that men remain engaged — not as authorities, but as defenders of fairness and boundaries that uphold equality.
Supporting a woman’s right to choose her path — career, family, or both — isn’t weakness; it’s leadership. True equality means standing up when principles are threatened, even when it’s unpopular.
Defending Fairness in Women’s Sports
Women’s athletics symbolize discipline, competition, and merit. When biological males compete in women’s divisions, it erodes fairness — not out of hate, but out of disregard for truth. Protecting women’s sports is not a political issue; it’s a matter of respect for effort and equity.
Men who defend the integrity of women’s competition are not anti-anyone — they are pro-fairness, pro-effort, and pro-respect. It’s not hostility — it’s honor.
Men as Partners in Strength
The modern male role isn’t about reclaiming authority but about reclaiming responsibility. A strong man stands beside women, ensuring their right to safety, fairness, and opportunity — not controlling them, but empowering them through solidarity.
- Defend women’s right to fair competition.
- Support women’s right to self-defense and safety.
- Uphold women’s right to pursue success without dependence on the state.
Masculinity isn’t erased by equality — it’s redefined by integrity and courage.
The Partnership Between Independence and Responsibility
The future we build should not seek to rewind history, but to restore balance. Independence doesn’t mean isolation, and responsibility doesn’t mean control. A healthy society requires both men and women who protect freedom, respect biological truths, and reject dependency in favor of resilience.
When independence and responsibility align, we restore harmony between genders — and build a stronger nation grounded in respect, liberty, and truth.
Conclusion
If women are rediscovering what empowerment means, men must rediscover what it means to stand with them — not for applause, but for principle. Supporting women’s sports, defending fairness, and telling the truth even when it’s unpopular — these are not acts of division. They are acts of courage and love for the values that make freedom possible.
A generation of men and women who rediscover strength through independence — and compassion through conviction — could very well define the next American renewal.
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