This presidential election has one of the biggest gender divides in history.
A DailyMail.com poll showed 54 percent of women backed Kamala Harris, while 59 percent of men backed Donald Trump.
And therapists say the divide extends beyond the ballot box to the bedroom: Couples argue more, have less sex, and even get divorced.
DailyMail.com spoke to four couples therapists and psychologists, who say they are seeing a growing number of couples coming to blows over the election.
Dr. Molly Burrets, a California-based clinical psychologist, said a couple who had been together for six years and had two children divorced over political differences.
She said: ‘These important cultural events really have an impact on couples who are struggling.
‘One of the cases I had was a couple I was working with, they were a fairly young couple in their 30s, they had been married six years, they had two young children, they thought they were quite aligned in their values.
‘(Before that) they had been dating for two years (and were) engaged for a year before they got married, so they really thought they had a good idea of who the other one was.
“And then the elections were held and it was clear that they were divided politically. The wife was a staunch Democrat and the husband was a Republican.
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She continued, “They came to couples therapy to try to figure it out, and in the end, after 12 sessions together, they decided that their values weren’t so aligned that they ended their marriage.”
Many therapists report an increase in couples seeking counseling during the election cycle. One even said he was now seeing 25 percent more patients than the last two times Trump was on the presidential ticket.
In many cases, these couples are already facing other problems, but the elections have aggravated the situation.
Dr. Gary McClain, a New York psychotherapist, also revealed that he was visited by couples who were coming to blows over the election.
He said: ‘(A couple I worked with) were in their early 40s, both professionals, teenage children, married for 14 years. In New York. He’s a Republican, she’s a Democrat.
‘They come to me to work on better communication. Their political differences have led to major arguments, to the point of yelling, even when their teenage children are present.
‘One of the repercussions was that the couple unwittingly recruited their children to take political positions… the result was that the two children felt they had to take sides for one parent and against the other.
‘The other was to avoid each other’s family. They often stayed away from each other’s family events because they didn’t want to hear politics and sometimes felt connived and attacked for their beliefs.’
Data shows that women are generally more likely to vote Democratic than their male peers, who lean more Republican.
In the 2016 election, 54 percent of women voted Democratic, compared to 41 percent of men who did.
Some experts have already warned that this division could be a problem for Donald Trump, given that 53 percent of the American electorate is female.
And experts say women are more likely to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in part because she has been open about her support for abortion access and has suggested that her opponent is a threat to democracy, an issue that affects more strength to women.
On the other hand, some say men are more likely to support former President Donald Trump because of a history of men identifying with sexist leaders.
In the 1980s, men were more likely to support Ronald Reagan than women, which was related to his image as a former Hollywood cowboy star and his strong anti-communist rhetoric.
In the 1932 election, men were also more likely to support Franklin Roosevelt, which was thought to be due to his image as a tough, self-made man.
Women are also generally more likely to say democracy is at risk in elections compared to men, with 72 percent of Democrats (who are more likely to be women) expressing this concern.
Sixty-five percent of women say they believe this election will have a major impact on access to abortion and reproductive health care, according to a KFF survey, while it has become the most important issue for women under 30 years of age.
By comparison, among men only about 20 percent consider abortion a priority issue, according to pollsters.
Dr. Frankie Bashan, a sex therapist and clinical psychologist in California, said couples hid affection from each other because of political differences.
“In some cases, couples avoid each other or even resort to avoidance to control intense emotions,” he said.
“This can even affect intimacy, as couples withhold affection, including sex, or ignore each other to make their point for hours, sometimes days.”
There is now a trend on TikTok of people posting about voting to tell their spouse’s decision.
Dr. Kiran Dintyala, an internal medicine doctor and stress management expert in San Diego, also revealed a case he had in which the traditional gender division was reversed: the wife voted Republican but the husband voted Democrat .
He said: ‘The couple told me that every time they turn on the TV, they start fighting. They were trying to avoid those arguments, but these things kept coming at them, something sparked the conversation, you know.
‘They told me that before Trump entered politics, they never fought much. It was from time to time, but they never argued like now, like cats and dogs.
Dr. Dintyala tried to calm the couple by explaining that everyone has a different perspective based on their life experience.
He said one was raised as a Republican and lived in Texas, a red state, which affected his worldview, while the other spent his entire life in California, a blue state.
TikTokers are also sharing the divide online, with some sharing videos that have racked up millions of views saying they know couples getting divorced over the election.
Commenting in the clipsone woman said: “She doesn’t want to marry a man who doesn’t respect her right to make her own decisions about her body and life #notshocked.”
The United States will go to the polls on Tuesday, November 5, and the results are expected to be announced in the following days.
A man commenting on a separate video said, ‘he’s better off without her,’ while a woman commenting on the same clip said, ‘Smart women! See the problem and get out quickly!’
For couples who want to keep their opinions separate but still live in harmony, Dr. Dintyala said there are key things to keep in mind when you disagree with your partner.
Firstly, he said it was important to realize that everyone has their own reality and perspective based on their life experience, and this must be respected.
He said, ‘Let’s say your wife likes blue and you like red, are you going to fight with her about it? No, that’s fine.
“But when it comes to politics, these kinds of issues take on a much more emotional charge.”
He also called on people to keep perspective and realize that what happens in their own home is much more important than what happens in the White House.
“Neither Trump nor Biden nor Obama are going to solve the problems at home, so they should not fight or disagree,” he said.
He also urged people to try to avoid consuming too much media if it causes conflict at home, and said they should not consume more than two hours a day.
“The moment you turn on 24-hour television, radio and social media, you are bombarded with so much information, often negative, that it stresses people out,” he said.
“So what I’m saying is you should choose your sources, whichever one you think will maintain a balanced view. I actually always recommend more than one source, and one that’s Democratic-leaning and one that’s Republican-leaning.”
Dr. Dintyala also suggested that people try meditation and relaxation techniques, such as listening to relaxing music and doing breathing exercises, during the political cycle to help them stay calm.
