Men and women have been voting differently in presidential elections for decades. But could the gender gap be the deciding factor in this year’s tight race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump?

The final ABC News/Ipsos poll before Election Day, released Sunday, found the gender gap among all likely voters was 16 points. Harris had an 11-point lead among women, 53% to 42%, while Trump had a 5-point lead among men, 50% to 45%.

The gender gap has averaged 19 points in presidential exit polls since 1996. However, some observers believe it could reach a new level in 2024.

“With a woman versus a man at the top of the list and with the prominence of the abortion issue in the wake of the Dobbs decision, we could have a historically large gender gap approaching a gender abyss this year,” said Whit Ayres, a veteran Republican pollster told ABC News.

The formula for success for Harris would be to win women by more than she loses men. The opposite is true for Trump.

“When you’re talking about tied races in seven swing states, anything could be the deciding factor,” Ayres said.

-Alexandra Hutzler of ABC News