Gender and Religiosity

?
  • Created by: Megan
  • Created on: 17-04-15 11:35
View mindmap
  • Gender and Religiosity
    • MILLER and HOFFMAN (1995)
      • Women express a greater interest in religion, have stronger personal commitment and attend church more
    • Reasons for gender differences
      • Socialisation and Gender role
        • MILLER AND HOFFMAN
          • Women are more likely to be religious because they are socialised to be more passive, obedient and caring. All qualities valued by most religions, so it is natural women are likely to be attracted to religion. Men who have these qualities are likely to be more religious
        • GREELY (1992)
          • Argues taking care of other family members increases womens religiosity because it involves responsibility for their 'ultimate' welfare
        • DAVIE (1994)
          • Argues that womens closer proximity to birth and death brings them closer to the ultimate questions about the meaning of life that religion is concerned with.
      • Women and the New Age
        • HEELAS AND WOODHEAD
          • 80% of participants in a holistic milieu were female. This is because such movements often celebrate the natural and involve healing, which gives women a higher status and sense of worth
        • BRUCE
          • Argues that women's experiences of child bearing make them less aggressive and goal orienated, and more caring - where men wish to achieve, women wish to feel. In Bruce's view this fits with the expressive emphasis of the New Age
    • Compensation for Deprivation
      • GLOCK AND STARK (1969)
        • Argue that people may participate in religion because of the compensators for social, organismic and ethical deprivation that it offers. These forms of deprivation are more common among women.
          • Organismic Deprivation - Stems from physical and mental health problems. Women are likely to suffer ill health and thus seek healing through religion
          • Ethical Deprivation - Women tend to be more morally conservative. They are thus more likely to regard the world as being in moral decline and are attracted to sects which share this view
          • Social Deprivation - Women are more likely to be poor. This may explain why there are more women than men in sects, since they tend to attract poorer groups
    • Recent trends in women's attendance
      • Evidence that women are now leaving the church at a faster rate than men
      • BRIERLY (2005)-
        • Notes a drastic decline in church going among women ages between 30-45. He suggests this may be due to pressures at home,the family and work which leave little time for church

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Sociology resources:

See all Sociology resources »See all Religion and beliefs resources »