{"id":1833,"date":"2026-05-19T10:44:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T10:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/19\/why-more-us-women-are-moving-abroad-its-because-of-trump-right-yes-and-no\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T10:44:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T10:44:49","slug":"why-more-us-women-are-moving-abroad-its-because-of-trump-right-yes-and-no","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=1833","title":{"rendered":"Why more US women are moving abroad: \u2018It\u2019s because of Trump, right? Yes and no\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"48962048-682a-41bb-8c74-80d6665bb014\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A composite image of two women.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/0f0e3e861e0876a60e2a7e771a1f465e7a5f5ed1\/0_0_5000_4000\/master\/5000.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Jenelle Jones and Alexandra Blydenburgh.<\/span> Composite: Handout<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"48962048-682a-41bb-8c74-80d6665bb014\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Jenelle Jones and Alexandra Blydenburgh.<\/span> Composite: Handout<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Why more US women are moving abroad: \u2018It\u2019s because of Trump, right? Yes and no\u2019<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-b3fmmo\">\n<p>As many as 40% of women aged 15 to 44 say they want to migrate, citing better work life balance to Trump\u2019s politics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">It was in 2022, when Americans were reeling from the news that the supreme court had overturned <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/roe-v-wade\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Roe v Wade<\/a>, that Jen Barnett got a firsthand glimpse of just how viable her new business could be.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Days before the court ruling, she had launched a website aimed at Americans looking to move abroad. As confusion and consternation set in over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2022\/jun\/24\/roe-v-wade-overturned-abortion-summary-supreme-court\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">what the ruling<\/a> meant for US women, Barnett watched traffic to her website steadily tick upward. \u201cWe had this huge spike.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">It was all she needed to co-found her company, Expatsi, which has since helped thousands of Americans looking to move abroad. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/lifeandstyle\/women\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Women<\/a> remain a key part of her demographic, making up around two-thirds of her clients. \u201cIf it weren\u2019t for young women, this business wouldn\u2019t exist,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Her experience offers a hint of what appears to be a growing gender gap among Americans: last year <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/697382\/record-numbers-younger-women-leave.aspx\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">a Gallup poll<\/a> found that 40% of American women aged 15 to 44 said they would move abroad permanently if they had the chance.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"6b1c06eb-132b-41d7-b2b4-740c29221ae2\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-4 | 4\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-1bg5532\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/ng-interactive\/2026\/apr\/28\/wife-school-christian-women-submissive\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">\u2018A husband expects a yes\u2019: how wife schools are shaping submissive Christian women<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">While the sample size was just 1,000 people, Gallup noted that the findings were a striking contrast to previous iterations of the same poll; from 2014 onwards, the number of women in the US who said they wanted to leave had soared fourfold. When it came to young men, however, the numbers had held steady at around 19%, giving rise to what Gallup <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/697382\/record-numbers-younger-women-leave.aspx\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">described<\/a> as the widest recorded gender divide of any country polled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The findings come as Americans appear to be leaving the country in record numbers. From London to Lisbon, relocation firms <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/fearful-trump-some-americans-look-make-life-europe-2025-05-04\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">have reported<\/a> a surge in inquiries from Americans, while the first two months of last year saw US applications for Irish passports climb to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rte.ie\/news\/primetime\/2025\/0320\/1503125-trumpugees-meet-the-us-citizens-in-the-surge-for-irish-passports\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">their highest level<\/a> in a decade. France last year reported a rise in the number of long-stay visa requests from Americans, while in March, the number of Americans who had solicited British citizenship in the 12 months before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/may\/24\/americans-british-citizenship\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">surged<\/a> to its highest since record-keeping began in 2004.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The Guardian spoke to five US women who in recent years had uprooted their lives to move to Latin America and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/europe-news\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Europe<\/a>, as well as one who was planning to move imminently. While all of them had long dreamed of a life abroad, they cited anxieties over gun violence, the quest for a better work-life balance and the turbulence of US politics as the tipping points.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Few were surprised to hear that as many as 40% of American women were dreaming of doing the same. \u201cIt has become harder and harder and more dangerous to even exist as a woman in the US,\u201d said Emily Burt, 32, who moved to Ecuador with her husband and two young children earlier this year. \u201cI think our generation, and even some gen Z women, we\u2019ve just become disillusioned with the story that was sold of American exceptionalism and best country in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">While some women continue to make strides in the US, Burt said it felt like things had moved backward overall. \u201cThe way women are spoken about, not by everyone and everywhere of course, but some of the loudest voices of influence \u2013 without naming names \u2013 are very disrespectful,\u201d said Burt. \u201cAnd that trickles down to how regular people that you interact with think that they can speak about, and speak to and treat women.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">All of this was playing out against the backdrop of social media, where women were getting an unprecedented view of what life could be like in other countries. \u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t they dream big and want to go places where they can feel respected and safe and the opportunities are open and endless?\u201d Burt asked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">She and her husband decided to move after her oldest child started kindergarten in Texas. Suddenly the exhaustion of balancing life and work was compounded by the stress of active shooter drills. \u201cIt was fairly often that we were getting threats, but then they were unfounded. But it doesn\u2019t even matter if they were real or not,\u201d she said. \u201cThat anxiety is still there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Others said the tumultuous politics of the US had played a role. \u201cThe politics were just like fuel for the fire,\u201d said Jenelle Jones, who last year left Tennessee in search of walkable cities, accessible public transport and abundant community spaces across the Atlantic.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"64f78321-13ec-4b53-804b-d135be5f85e8\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A woman in an airplane holding a glass, taking a selfie.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/4e696a43f71b224bf62c155bdff878f5e1664e8a\/0_0_1024_768\/master\/1024.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"333.75\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"64f78321-13ec-4b53-804b-d135be5f85e8\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Jenelle Jones at Teterboro airport, New Jersey, preparing to head to Europe.<\/span> Photograph: Jenelle Jones<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cEverybody\u2019s like, \u2018It\u2019s because of Trump, right?\u2019 It\u2019s yes and no, though it just kind of confirmed my decision,\u201d said Jones, 39, who was renting an apartment near Tirana, Albania, after a year of travelling through Europe in a camper van. \u201cThe US has always had inherent racism and classism, propaganda \u2013 all this stuff that\u2019s built into it. But it\u2019s never been so in-your-face before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The result was the kinds of tensions that had convinced Courtney Schuyler, 43, and her wife that the time had come for a move, rather than waiting until retirement as they had initially planned. \u201cWalking around the United States when you know you might not be as protected or you might be judged a little bit more harshly or openly than years before \u2013 there\u2019s always a level of stress on your shoulders when you\u2019re part of a marginalised community,\u201d said Schuyler.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Their three dogs in tow, they traded their lives in the Tampa Bay area for Madrid last year. \u201cIt\u2019s almost like being able to take a deep breath again. So that feels good, but it is so sad because there are a lot of people we still love and care about in the United States, and those we can emphathise with.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">All of the women were swift to point out that their new lives came with a different set of challenges, from language barriers to being far from their family and loved ones. \u201cBeing American abroad, it\u2019s an endless cycle of trying to find ways to get a visa,\u201d said Alexandra Blydenburgh, 27, who left the US more than four years ago and had moved between various countries in Europe.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"064cab84-e38b-4c68-8e9f-318fc5699cea\" data-spacefinder-role=\"supporting\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-a2pvoh\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Woman poses with bridge over water behind her\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/a017e1ac9e5e783bdb81ecccf8930d99ea5b9d04\/0_0_1408_2048\/master\/1408.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"647.2727272727273\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"064cab84-e38b-4c68-8e9f-318fc5699cea\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1sv232j\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-9ktzqp\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">\u201cBeing American abroad, it\u2019s an endless cycle of trying to find ways to get a visa,\u201d said Alexandra Blydenburgh.<\/span> Photograph: Alexandera Blydenburgh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cOn social media, lots of people are like, \u2018Everyone move abroad; it\u2019s perfect.\u2019 But I think it\u2019s not necessarily for everyone. It is difficult,\u201d she said, citing the often-lower salaries in Europe as one example.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">For her, however, these were trade-offs she was prepared to make. \u201cA lot of people say, \u2018Why move abroad? Why not try to work on or solve the issues you have in your home country?\u2019 But in the US, I really feel like we\u2019re in a place politically where that\u2019s not really possible \u2013 in my lifetime I don\u2019t see that the US could ever become a country where there\u2019s free healthcare and this emphasis on work-life balance and six weeks of paid vacation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">It\u2019s the kind of shift Barnett had watched play out among those looking to go abroad. Before 2024, most of her clients had pointed to adventure and personal growth as their reason for wanting to leave. Others said they were interested in lowering their cost of living.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">But since Donald Trump was re-elected in November 2024, \u201cthe number one reason is politics,\u201d she said. \u201cThat November 6th was the biggest day we\u2019ve ever had on our side. It was the craziest. Our lives just changed dramatically overnight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Her company has since become part of a blossoming industry, from She Hit Refresh, an online community for women over the age of 30 who are looking to move abroad to Blaxit Global, which caters to Black Americans, and GTFO tours, which tends to draw critics of Trump and his administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Barnett saw little indication that the trend would reverse, particularly as the political climate in the US remained fraught. \u201cListen, we would rather have democracy than the business,\u201d said Barnett. \u201cBut we are going to seize the moment and make sure we can help as many Americans as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US news<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/society\/women\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Women (Society)<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/lifeandstyle\/women\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Women (Life and style)<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/europe-news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Europe<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/features\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">features<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Why%20more%20US%20women%20are%20moving%20abroad:%20%E2%80%98It%E2%80%99s%20because%20of%20Trump,%20right?%20Yes%20and%20no%E2%80%99&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/us-women-migrating-europe-politics?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F19%2Fus-women-migrating-europe-politics&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/us-women-migrating-europe-politics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jenelle Jones and Alexandra Blydenburgh. Composite: Handout View image in fullscreen Jenelle Jones and Alexandra Blydenburgh. Composite: Handout<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1835,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}