The continuing transformation of college into a women’s domain has consequences that we haven’t really begun to face. College-educated women overwhelmingly support Democrats. That may be a result of what happens while they’re enrolled. But there’s also evidence that women who enter college start out disproportionately liberal. However you slice the data, more women enrolled in college, from which they graduate at higher rates, encourages political monoculture.

Demographic change is a more plausible explanation of the progressive drift of the American elite than ideological conspiracy theories. In debates about the boundaries of toleration, women are far more likely to accept the principle that speech can be “violence.” According to one survey, Democratic men support free speech online at about the same rate as Republican women (who are less likely to hold a BA). Seventy-six percent of Democratic women, by contrast, think “people being able to feel safe and welcome” is more important.

It’s harder to find data about workplace policies. But it’s a reasonable guess that college-educated women are more favorable to efforts to restrict what they consider dangerous, offensive, or disruptive behavior. There’s also evidence that women prefer broad participation and consensus over majoritarian decisions. It’s not a coincidence that promises to listen, consult, and empathize have become staples of corporate PR.