For decades, the prevailing narrative urged young women to “lean in,” to hustle, to shatter glass ceilings. The “girlboss” era promised liberation through careerism and independence, often at the expense of family, faith, and tradition. Yet a growing cohort of young women is finding that the old promises ring hollow. For them, the most subversive act is not to storm the boardroom, but to bake bread, nurture children, and build a home.
This mindset suffused the tenth anniversary of the Young Women’s Leadership Summit in June. Organized by Turning Point USA, the event has grown from a niche gathering to a cultural force, drawing speakers like Alex Clark, Riley Gaines, Erika Kirk, Beth Van Duyne, and Allie Beth Stuckey. The message this year was clear: A new generation of young women is flipping the script on what it means to be empowered, and in doing so, they are making conservatism not just relevant but attractive.
The numbers tell a story too often ignored. The 2024 American Family Survey found that 37 percent of young conservative women described themselves as “completely satisfied” with their lives, compared to just 12 percent of progressive women. This happiness gap has persisted since at least 2018, and studies show that conservative women report higher family stability and emotional well-being than their peers.
Marriage is a major contributing factor. The marriage rate among conservative women aged eighteen to forty is 20 percentage points higher than that of their liberal peers. This difference closely tracks with other measures of well-being. For example, nearly 29 percent of liberal women say they feel lonely a few times a week or more, compared to 11 percent of conservative women and 19 percent of moderates. The survey indicates that much of this loneliness gap owes to different rates of marriage and church attendance, with over half of young conservative women attending church weekly versus just 12 percent of their liberal counterparts.
Mental health outcomes also diverge sharply by ideology. Among white women aged eighteen to twenty-nine, 46 percent of liberals have been diagnosed with a mental disorder, compared to 21 percent of conservatives. Researchers suggest factors like marriage, religious engagement, and a stronger sense of agency help explain why conservative women consistently report greater life satisfaction, stability, and lower loneliness than their liberal peers.
The depressive mentality among liberal women is directly correlated to the misanthropic culture of woke youth, who are prone to catastrophizing and pessimism. Moreover, “Ideological divide does not appear to be just a consequence of negative thinking; it also seems to flow from the fact that liberal young women are less likely to be integrated into core American institutions—specifically marriage and religion—that lend meaning, direction, and a sense of solidarity to women’s lives.”
The data point toward a realignment of values—what Allie Beth Stuckey describes as “less feminism, more femininity”—and, importantly, a reframing, rather than abdication, of agency. Speakers at the summit emphasized that this movement is not about denying women choices but about expanding them. The freedom to choose family, faith, and tradition is a form of rebellion against the prevailing culture. The “new rebellion” is not loud or brash; it is quiet, domestic, and deeply countercultural. Social media and platforms like Instagram and TikTok have fueled the spread of this new aesthetic and connected previously isolated women, making the shift visible and aspirational.
The #tradwife hashtag generates widespread discussion and millions of views across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Influential creators within the movement attract large and engaged followings. Not all of these viewers are politically conservative. Many unaffiliated or liberal-leaning women quietly follow tradwife content for what it provides: a hint of order, beauty, meaning, and a sense of calm that the ambient “hustle culture” conspicuously lacks.
This shift is also visible in the broader conservative movement. The old image of the Republican party as stodgy and out-of-touch is giving way to a new, vibrant crowd of young women who unapologetically embrace their values. They are not just marketing ideas, but a lifestyle that dares to find beauty and fulfillment where the world says it doesn’t exist.
Critics will inevitably call this regression, a return to patriarchal norms. But the reality is more nuanced. Many of these women are highly educated, socially engaged, and politically active. Their embrace of tradition is not about turning back the clock, but about forging a new path that prioritizes family and faith without sacrificing ambition or agency. Far from being uninformed or passive, these women reflect a broader national shift: Overall, women now outpace men in college graduation rates, and their rate of civic engagement is steadily growing.
In a world obsessed with novelty and disruption, the rediscovery of the ordinary within faith, family, and community has become the true rebellion. The question is not whether this movement will last, but whether the rest of the culture is ready to listen. By choosing the traditional lifestyle, these young women are not retreating from the world but engaging with it on their own terms. In the end, perhaps the most liberating choice is not to break with the past, but to rediscover in the old ways something enduringly new.
