Jane*, 22, was sitting in her apartment on the night of the 2024 presidential election when her boyfriend genuinely asked why she was upset about Donald Trump being elected president of the United States. “There was a complete lack of empathy and education that seriously put me off,” she told Her Campus. “Previously, I didn’t hold men to the same standards as my friends, and I have made a conscious choice to hold them to an even higher one now — I need a long-term partner who cares about others and is well-informed on the world.”
The state of politics in the U.S. feels bleak: Ideological divides among Gen Z have reached an all-time high in recent years. As a result, Gen Z women are approaching sex, and who they’re having it with, much more carefully. According to a November 2025 Her Campus survey of over 800 Gen Zers, respondents averaged having less than two sexual partners in the last year (1.8, to be exact). But Gen Z women are not simply “having less sex.” Instead, many of them are choosing to be intentional with who they have sex with — prioritizing their principles (and their personal politics), looking for partners whose beliefs are reflective of their own, and putting themselves first.
Reproductive policy is personal for Gen Z women across the United States, and an issue they are overwhelmingly supportive of. “When I think about sex, my brain goes to how a man will treat you, how he thinks of other women, what he thinks about birth control [and] abortion regulations,” Jane says. “[Sex] is inherently political, especially now when some of those rights are being stripped away.”
I would absolutely not date or have sex with [someone who is anti-abortion]. I would not even consider dating him if he were [anti-abortion].
Gracie*, 22
It’s not just Jane who feels that way. Prior to dating her current boyfriend, Gracie,* 22, asked him where he stood politically on reproductive rights — something that was non-negotiable. She cites the overturning of Roe v. Wade — a landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States — as an external pressure influencing who she feels comfortable having sex with. “I would absolutely not date or have sex with [someone who is anti-abortion],” Gracie tells Her Campus. “I would not even consider dating him if he were [anti-abortion].”
Even Gen Z women who don’t identify as left-leaning care deeply about reproductive rights, and their potential partner’s stance on reproductive policy matters. “I personally feel that abandoning those I love who differ politically is not beneficial to America or to the problem America currently has, being so divided,” says Kaylee*, 21. “It is really important to me, however, that whoever I’m with supports my rights to my own body. I don’t think I could be with a person who doesn’t support that.”
But, as their right to choose continues to be stripped away, Gen Z women are looking for partners who will be supportive of their agency. “For every Gen Z woman, politics is playing out inside of her body,” says sex and relationships expert Dr. Alexandra Solomon, LMFT. “It is wholly understandable — especially if she’s straight — that she’s got concerns about, ‘Can this man understand what that’s like and be an advocate and an ally?’”
Reproductive rights are not only intertwined with college women’s sexuality, but also conducive to a healthy democracy. “Democratic experts say that one of the signs of democratic backsliding is withdrawing sexual and reproductive rights from certain groups of people,” Carter Sherman, reproductive health and justice reporter and author of The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation’s Fight Over Its Future, tells Her Campus. “I think a lot about that, because we’re living in a time where a lot of people have very valid fears about the future of democracy. A lot of that goes back to the overturning of [Roe v. Wade].”
Anxiety over reproductive rights isn’t the only external factor preventing Gen Z from having sex. “The widening political gender gap means that [misaligned values are] baked into the dating pool,” Casey Tanner, author of Feel It All: A Therapist’s Guide to Reimagining Your Relationship with Sex, tells Her Campus. “For queer and trans communities — and anyone who loves them — the broader policy landscape matters in very practical ways. Political beliefs can signal whether a partner will protect your dignity or treat it as negotiable. When the world feels unstable, ‘preferences’ become safety assessments.”
Similarly, respondents in Her Campus’s survey cited financial instability and general global unrest as other barriers to having sex. “We are all depressed and stressed by the state of the world and economy,” says Rian*, a 22-year-old from New Jersey. “It’s also too expensive to have kids, so no one wants to risk [casual sex].”
I have my values, and those aren’t changing for a man.
Samantha*, 22
For first-generation college students from marginalized backgrounds, casual sex goes even deeper than the cost of raising children. “Another facet of privilege is you have the privilege of playing with any kind of higher-risk activity,” Solomon says. “Part of having a marginalized identity is that there’s just less of a safety net, or there’s no safety net. Everything is a constant question of ‘What’s the consequence?’ ‘Who’s going to help me if I’m dealing with the consequences?’”
So, when politics are reflective of one’s morals, how can you ensure that your relationship is true to your values? According to Sherman, having honest conversations around values, expectations, and the structure of a partnership is vital. “It’s an everyday job to figure out how you fit together,” Sherman says, “and to meet each other as individuals as opposed to ideas about what a man should be and what a woman should be. It’s important to have grace for your partner and for yourself.”
Gen Z women are already practicing this in their relationships. “My relationship doesn’t complete me,” Samantha*, 22, tells Her Campus. “It’s an addition to my incredibly full life. This feeling extends to politics. I have my values, and those aren’t changing for a man.”
Meaningful connections aren’t exclusive to romantic or sexual relationships, either. Gen Z women are also centering platonic relationships in their lives, building community with others during a time of division. “It is really important to be intentional with your time and energy,” Jane says. “Surrounding myself with strong female friendships is critical, especially right now.”
Sex has always been political, but Gen Z women are choosing to approach it with intention. “The really beautiful thing about sex is that we get to be the authors of our story,” Solomon says. “While what makes each woman feel safe and empowered in this political climate may vary across individuals, we all have our own story — and it’s up to us to make the choice for ourselves.”
*Names have been changed