Jen Barnett launched the relocation website Expatsi days before the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, and traffic to the site spiked after the ruling. The company, which Barnett co-founded, has since helped thousands of Americans looking to move abroad, with women making up around two-thirds of its clients. "We had this huge spike," Barnett said of the period following the ruling. "That November 6th was the biggest day we've ever had on our side. It was the craziest."

A Gallup poll of 1,000 people found that 40% of American women aged 15 to 44 said they would move abroad permanently if they had the chance. From 2014 onwards, the percentage of US women wanting to leave the country had increased fourfold, while the percentage of young men wanting to move abroad held steady at around 19%. The poll recorded the widest gender divide of any country surveyed.

Official figures from several countries reflected rising interest. In the first two months of last year, US applications for Irish passports reached their highest level in a decade, and France reported an increase in long-stay visa requests from Americans. In March, the number of Americans who applied for British citizenship in the preceding 12 months reached its highest level since record-keeping began in 2004. Relocation firms in cities from London to Lisbon reported a surge in inquiries from Americans.

Emily Burt, 32, moved to Ecuador with her husband and two young children earlier this year, after her oldest child started kindergarten in Texas and the family experienced active shooter drills at the school. "It has become harder and harder and more dangerous to even exist as a woman in the US," Burt said. "I think our generation, and even some gen Z women, we've just become disillusioned with the story that was sold of American exceptionalism and best country in the world."

Alexandra Blydenburgh, 27, left the US more than four years ago and has moved between various countries in Europe. "Being American abroad, it's an endless cycle of trying to find ways to get a visa," she said. "A lot of people say, 'Why move abroad? Why not try to work on or solve the issues you have in your home country?' But in the US, I really feel like we're in a place politically where that's not really possible – in my lifetime I don't see that the US could ever become a country where there's free healthcare and this emphasis on work-life balance and six weeks of paid vacation," Blydenburgh said.