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Fact Tank - Our Lives in Numbers
MARCH 23, 2016
Q&A: Why are women generally more religious than men?
BY CARYLE MURPHY10 COMMENTS
The much-debated question of whether women are more religious than men is the fo
cus of Pew Research Center s recently released report The Gender Gap in Religion Ar
ound the World. The study finds that women are generally but not universally more
religious than men in several ways. Indeed, data collected for the study show t
hat in some religions and some contexts, men are as, or even more, religious tha
n women.
David Voas, head of the Department of Social Science at University College Londo
n
David Voas, professor and head of the Department of Social Science at University
College London
Fact Tank discussed the report s findings with David Voas, head of the Department
of Social Science at University College London. A demographer and sociologist, V
oas has written extensively about religion, spirituality and the transmission of
beliefs and values from one generation to another.
What in your personal view are the most plausible explanations for the differenc
es in religious commitment between men and women?
David Voas: Personally, I m tempted to give the classic academic response that mor
e research is needed. At the risk of seeming wishy-washy, I suspect that nature
and nurture both play a part. Boys and girls are socialized differently and men
and women are still channeled into different roles. When we look at the psycholo
gy of individual differences, though, particularly in personality, it s not easy t
o attribute gender gaps in their entirety to social forces.
Can you explain in a little more detail what exactly you re talking about when you
suggest a possible biological basis for religious differences between men and w
omen?
I m not an expert in genetics, but there appears to be some fairly compelling evid
ence (for example from studies of twins) that genes do affect our disposition to
be religious. And if that s the case, it s at least plausible that the gender gap i
n religiosity is partly a matter of biology. If true, though, I doubt that it s be
cause there s a God gene and women are more likely to have it than men. It seems eas
ier to believe that physiological or hormonal differences could influence person
ality, which may in turn be linked to variations in spirituality or religious thin
king.
What do you see in our report on gender and religion that adds to the research o
n this subject?
The range of countries and the number of indicators of religious involvement use
d in the study make it possible to see the contrast between Christian and Muslim
countries very clearly. In some ways the findings are counterintuitive. We re use
d to thinking that the modernization of values, attitudes and behavior has made
the West a land of comparative equality, while in the Muslim world large differe
nces in the social and economic opportunities for men and women persist. Here s an
important case where the gender gap is much larger in Christian than in Muslim
countries.
Does this mean that Christianity is more appealing to women than to men, and if
so, why do you think this is the case?
Christianity presents itself as a religion of the powerless: Blessed are the meek
, for they shall inherit the earth. Depending on your point of view, that s appeali
ngly feminine or appallingly effeminate. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote in his charac
teristically abrasive way that women need a religion of weakness that glorifies b
eing weak, loving, and humble as divine.
It s true that some religions are more appealing to women or men than others. If w
e look at alternative spirituality, some varieties attract mostly women and othe
rs are of more interest to men. (Satanism falls into the latter category.) Chris
tianity, too, comes in many forms, to such an extent that it is difficult to gen
eralize about its appeal. The more patriarchal versions are possibly better at k
eeping men involved. Where men are mostly responsible for public worship, as in
Orthodox Judaism and Islam, then of course the gender gap will look different. O
verall, though, I doubt that there are important differences between the major w
orld religions in their appeal to men and women. They have all survived and thri
ved for centuries.
Why do you think prayer frequency as opposed to other measures of religious comm
itment shows the largest gender gap in our study?
In a Christian context, prayer is often taken to be a product of intrinsic or pr
ivate religiosity; its very invisibility makes it an indicator of personal commi
tment. The frequency of prayer may be the purest sign of religious commitment, whi
ch means that, arguably, it s the best yardstick to use in comparing men and women
.
By contrast, other measures of religious adherence are affected by extrinsic con
siderations such as social desirability. Perhaps the gender gaps for religious a
ffiliation and worship service attendance, for example, are smaller because thos
e indicators are wrapped up with tribal identity, which might be particularly im
portant to men at least if football is any indication.
Note that the situation is different for Muslims. Frequent prayer is a religious
obligation, praying involves the whole body, and, for men especially, it s often
done in public. That means that it s subject to a degree of social monitoring and
hence social pressure. I m not suggesting that Muslim men aren t truly religious, I m
just saying that regular prayer means something different in Christian and Musli
m societies.
What is your view of the argument that, in many countries, women are more religi
ous than men because they re less likely to have a job outside the home?
Some research does indeed suggest that working outside the home is associated wi
th lower religious involvement. If we accept that finding (and the research resu
lts haven t been wholly consistent), the interesting question is why that should b
e the case. Maybe paid employment crowds out time for religious involvement, or
perhaps being exposed to different values and worldviews tends to undermine reli
gious commitment. Alternatively, though, causality could operate in the other di
rection: Maybe women who already are less religious go out to work and those who
are more traditional stay at home.
TOPICS: CHRISTIANS AND CHRISTIANITY, GENDER, MUSLIMS AND ISLAM, RELIGION AND SOC
IETYShare the link:
http://pewrsr.ch/22EPVb1
Caryle Murphy is a senior writer/editor focusing on religion at Pew Research Cen
ter.
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10 Comments

Scott James Stambaugh 1 year ago

It s quite simple, really: Religion provides a sense of security for women, and, I
believe, is thought to have a civilizing effect on their mates. The truth or lo
gic of the faith is immaterial.
Anonymous 1 year ago
Mr. Voas fully met my expectations of finding the usual politically correct clap
trap which painstakingly avoids i.e. tiptoes around the elephant in the room:
Ladies on average just tend simply to be less rigorous of reason whose scrutiny
religion cannot survive.
Anonymous 1 year ago
I had a Hebrew professor once who had a hypothesis on this subject. In Hebrew an
d Aramaic the Holy Spirit is feminine and largely embodies the feminine names an
d attributes of God (Elohim, the only word in Hebrew that is both masculine and
feminine). He believed that women are more sensitive to the Spirit because they em
body the feminine traits of the Holy Spirit.
wout ultee 1 year ago
I am quite disaapointed with the reply of the demographer/sociologist Voas. The
question should not only be whether and why women are more religious, howver mea
sured, than men. The pertinent question is about the relationship between the re
lgiosity of husbands and wives. If husbands are more religious, are their wives
more religious too? Do persons with the saem degree of religiosity pick one anot
her, and do they grow more similar after more years of marriage?
david pearn 1 year ago
I would have thought fact based thinking, by way of the sciences; astrophysics bei
ng an example, would tend to bias men to a more cold, analytical way of thinking.
I know there are exceptions of course, but I would think the devision starts in th
e later years of secondary school in particular, assuming neutral family influen
ces.
Morgan McKenna 1 year ago
It s interesting if not ironic that this questions was posed to a man instead of a
woman.
Next time there is a gender question, ask both a qualified female and a male to
respond.
Your myopia is unfathomable.
David Rohall 1 year ago
Nice piece. I particularly appreciate the comparison of private and public praye
r relative to other forms of public worship such as weekly church services. Anot
her argument I have heard is that church services afford people an opportunity t
o socialize which appeals to women more than men. Well done!
wil brander 1 year ago
I ve never heard the debate about gender in religion/spirituality. I think you sho
uld research why you think it s important.
Conrad Hackett 1 year ago
Will,
There is indeed a lively debate about the gender gap in religion. Chapter 7 of o
ur new report provides a great introduction to the topic: pewforum.org/2016/03/2
2/theories
Conrad
wil brander 1 year ago
This debate is not in popular culture. And again, I d like to hear why you think i
t s an important topic to study.
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