Female Trump supporters explained they voted for him because they didn't trust Clinton

Others feared that the result means they will never see a female U.S. president in their lifetimes

'My body totally rejected the result,' said one Clinton supporter

Many described breaking down in tears or even feeling physically sick when Donald Trump was announced as the president-elect

Female Hillary Clinton supporters have described how they broke down after her crushing election loss.

For many women, they felt they'd not only lost the chance of a huge milestone — the election of America's first female president — but the victorious candidate was one who had denigrated women and been accused of multiple instances of sexual assault.

Maggie Passmore of St. Paul, Minnesota, had been watching election returns at a party but reverted to watching at home 'when things got scary.' She fell asleep, then awoke to learn that Donald Trump was defeating Hillary Clinton.

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A woman weeps as election results are reported during Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's election night rally

Audience members listen as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spoke in New York, Wednesday, where she conceded her defeat to Republican Donald Trump after the hard-fought presidential election

'And then I threw up,' said Passmore, 54. 'My body totally rejected the result.' Hours later, she found herself writing an email to her kids saying how terrified she was for the country's future: for the Supreme Court, for health care, for international relations.

Countless devastated voters spoke of collapsing in tears, or seeing strangers do the same — on the subway, or on the street after the results were announced.

Many were left in a state of shock.

By the time Donald Trump had called his opponent 'such a nasty woman' at the third and final presidential debate, it had seemed that women might hand him a defeat at the ballot box.

Female Hillary Clinton supporters have described how they broke down after her crushing election loss

Wellesley College students and supporters of Hillary Clinton, Ellie Chalphin of Philadelphia, left, and Lena Engbretson of Beaverton, Ore., right, are tearful while watching televised election returns

But when the dust cleared, the unprecedented gender gap — 13 points in Clinton's favor, assuming exit polls hold up, the largest since the exit poll began in 1972 — wasn't enough.

In Florida — a key battleground state won narrowly by Trump — Phyllis Towzey of St. Petersburg watched election night returns from her sofa, and started to cry. 'I've dreamed about a woman president since I was a little kid,' the 57-year-old attorney said.

'And if she couldn't win over a grossly less qualified male candidate, I don't think there's any hope in my lifetime to have a woman president.'

Meanwhile in New York, at Clinton's election night party, a stony silence turned to sheer horror early Wednesday as it became painfully clear she would not close the gap with Donald Trump.

One by one, states turned Republican red on the interactive map of the country. One by one, dejected Clinton fans left in tears without even seeing their beloved candidate.

U.S and global youth supporters of Hillary Clinton mourn the election of Donald Trump during the World Climate Change Conference 2016 in Marrakech, Morocco

A group of Hillary Clinton supporters at her election night rally comfort one another as they break down in tears over the presidential results

A Clinton supporter covers her mouth as she breaks down with emotion over election results on Tuesday

Nora Rubel and her two daughters were among throngs of people who went to suffragist Susan B. Anthony's gravesite Tuesday to celebrate voting for Clinton — the Rochester, New York, graveyard had extended its hours, expecting the crowd.

'The energy was incredible, and it felt prophetic,' she recalled.

A day later, her 13-year-old daughter was sobbing so hard over Clinton's loss that the girl stayed home from school.

Rubel struggled with what to say to her despondent children Wednesday, but settled on this: 'We're all disappointed. There are checks and balances, although not as many as we want, and we all have to take care of each other.'

Yet the fact remains that millions of American women did vote for Trump.

'Listen, I didn't love either of the candidates,' said Susan Paarz, 69, of Somers Point, New Jersey. 'But I voted against corruption and dishonesty.'

Former Democratic US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks to supporters at the New Yorker after her defeat

Mr Trump gave his victory speech after 3am, not long after Hilly Clinton called to concede the race

Said Paarz of Trump's vulgar comments: 'Any woman would have been offended. But guys talk that way in a locker room. Is he different? Probably not.'

For Clinton supporter Jan Risher, Election Day had begun joyously. She'd rustled up the best pantsuit she could — not matching, but no matter — and headed to downtown Lafayette, Louisiana, to take a happy photo with some similarly attired women.

Hours later, instead of celebrating the first woman president as she'd expected, she was searching online for how to immigrate to Canada.

'I have never felt so forlorn in my life,' said Risher, 52. 'I just feel such alienation from my country today.'

On social media, many women asked: What will we tell our daughters?

Clinton herself addressed the issue in an emotional concession speech. 'To all the little girls watching: Never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world,' she said.

Hillary Clinton supporters react as results come in at an election night party for the Democratic presidential candidate at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center

Many Democrats said they were nervous as they arrived at Hillary Clinton's event in New York, but no one was expecting such a violent slap in the face

Clinton and Trump supporters get into a heated argument during a large gathering in front of the White House on election night

Not all of the women who voted for Trump completely condoned his behavior. They just preferred him to the alternative.

To Trump supporter Diane Massaroli of Staten Island, New York, the candidate's vulgar, caught-on-tape comments were disgusting — but not a dealbreaker.

And the series of women who accused him of sexual assault didn't persuade her, she said, although her 15-year-old daughter, a Clinton supporter, was in tears at the result.

'A lot of people said that to me: How could I vote for him, being the mother of a daughter? ... But I think everything else is far greater' than his comments, Massaroli said. 'I think people just didn't trust her as much as they would trust him.'

A clearly disappointed Kathy Spillar, executive director of the Feminist Majority Foundation, preferred to accentuate the positive in the election: Clinton, she noted, won among young women, not to mention winning the popular vote. And the subject of sexual assault made it front and center in the campaign.