Gender and Religiosity

• As Table 1C shows, there are some clear gender differences in religiosity in the UK. These differences can be found among all age groups, and in both non-Christian religions and almost every Christian denomination. As Davie (2013) notes, there are gender differences in terms of religious practice, belief, self-identification, private prayer and many other aspects of religiosity.
• • Most churchgoers are female and they are more likely than men to attend church regularly. Female churchgoers outnumber males by almost half a million (Brierley, 2021).
  • More women than men (54% versus 41 %) say they have a religion (British Social Attitudes Survey 2018).
  • More women than men (38% versus 26%) say religion is important to them and more women (40% versus 28%) describe themselves as 'spiritual' (British Social attitudesSurvey, 2008).
• • Many fewer women than men (34% as against 54%) are atheists or agnostics. Even among atheists, men are nearly twice as likely to say they definitely do not believe in life after death (Voas 2015).
  • In all major faiths in the UK except for Sikhs, women are more likely than men to practise their religion (Ferguson and Hussey, 2010).
  • Women express greater interest in religion and have a stronger personal commitment to it (Miller and Hoffman, 1995).