Women voters’ support for the ANC is the reason the party still leads at national level.

This is one of the key findings in a new poll by the Institute for Race Relations (IRR), which compared support for political parties among men and women between 2021 and 2026.

The IRR released the poll on Monday.

According to the poll, 37% of women support the ANC, compared to 26% who support the DA. Among men, the gap is smaller, with 27% supporting the ANC and 26% backing the DA.

According to the IRR, this difference means about 94% of the ANC’s national lead over the DA in its poll stems from the party’s stronger support among women.

“Without its lead among female voters, the ANC and the DA would essentially be neck and neck in the run-up to the local government elections in November 2026,” the report states.

Support declining among both genders

However, this does not mean women remain loyal to the ANC. Women’s support for the party has dropped by about 18 percentage points since 2021, from 55% to 37%. Among men, ANC support fell by 17 points in the same period, from 44% to 27%.

The rate at which women are leaving the ANC is therefore almost the same as among men.

The DA appears more balanced in terms of gender. The party stands at 26% among both women and men this year.

The EFF, MK party and IFP all perform slightly better among men: 11% of men support the EFF, with 10% of women, 13% of men support MK compared to 9% of women, and 9% support the IFP compared to 5% of women.

Economic vulnerability a key factor

The IRR attempted to determine why the ANC’s remaining support base is stronger among women. According to the report, race, place of residence, satisfaction with living conditions and a possible preference for welfare do not on their own provide a sufficient explanation. The reason is rather women’s economic exposure and the impact of politics on household security.

Of women who indicated their household income, 80% in 2026 lived in households with less than R8 000 per month, compared to 70% of men. Only 28% of women worked or owned their own businesses, compared to 36% of men. Women were also more likely not to have matric.

Different priorities shape voting patterns

The difference also emerges in the issues voters prioritise. In 2025, 25% of women named the abuse of women or children as one of their two most important challenges, compared to 8% of men. About 15% of women named housing as a priority, compared to just 3% of men.

In 2026, when respondents had to identify one main priority or problem, 12% of women mentioned the abuse of women or children, while only 8% of men labelled it a top priority. Healthcare and service delivery also weighed more heavily among women.

These issues often weigh more heavily among ANC voters than DA voters. Over the past three decades, the ANC has prided itself on expanding millions of South Africans’ access to housing and basic services, and has long held up these achievements as part of its political claim to voter support.

In 2026, 11% of ANC supporters prioritised the abuse of women or children, compared to 6% of DA supporters, while service delivery was the top priority for 7% of ANC voters and 3% of DA voters.

However, the IRR warns against concluding that women simply prefer greater dependence on the state. About 82% of women said in 2026 the government should focus on job creation rather than social grants, while 84% of men held this view.

The 2026 survey was conducted from 9 to 20 March among 1 038 registered voters, including 500 women and 538 men. The IRR randomly dialled phone numbers and conducted telephone interviews. The margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points. Previous polls consisted of 633 respondents in 2021, 607 in 2022, 604 in 2023, 604 in 2024 and 807 in 2025.

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