Currently21 Dec 2025

Left Out: the political radicalisation of young women - and the silence surrounding it

At the 2024 general election, something remarkable happened: young voters broke away from the political mainstream, but in opposite directions. Young men moved to the right, while young women swung just as strongly (if not, more) to the left.

While the shift among young men dominated headlines and airwaves, sparking endless commentary and think pieces, the shift among young women was largely ignored, reduced to vague notions of idealism or climate anxiety. No analysis. No research funding. No curiosity.

Presented by Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff, Left Out asks what we’ve missed by overlooking this political awakening and what it reveals about gender, power and a media landscape that still treats young men as serious voters, and young women as a footnote. It explores whether this quiet revolution signals a deeper cultural realignment.

We hear directly from women aged 17-24 about what matters to them, why their political views are shifting, how conversations with their male peers often unfold and what they need to hear and see from politicians.

Backed by the latest polling data, and with insights from academics, MPs and leading pollsters, Left Out investigates how social media is shaping the political consciousness of Britain’s youth, as well as the many other forces behind a growing polarisation between genders. It asks what happens when young men and women enter adulthood holding such opposing worldviews - in their careers, relationships and family lives.

And we question how our politics might change if mainstream parties and media organisations fail to respond to this growing chorus of young women who have found their voice - and their power.

A 2 Degrees West Production for BBC Radio 4

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