Recent Trends

• Although women remain more likely to be religious than men, there has been a decline in their participation in religious activities in the UK. We have already encountered some possible reasons for these trends, notably the movement of women into paid work and, related to this, their rejection of traditional subordinate gender roles.
• Because traditional religions have tended to be closely bound up with traditional gender roles, women's rejection of subordination has led them to reject traditional religion at the same time. Although some women are now attracted to New Age beliefs and practices, their numbers are relatively modest.