Gender

• What are the social groups linked with religiosity in the study material?

  Gender, ethnicity, class, and age
• What does the evidence suggest about gender differences in religiosity levels in the UK?

  Women are generally more religious than men
• According to Davie (2013), what aspects show gender differences in religiosity?

  Practice, belief, self-identification, private prayer
• Who highlighted that female churchgoers outnumber men by half a million?

  Brierley, 2013
• What percentage of women say religion is important to them compared to men?

  38% of women, 26% of men
• What percentage of women describe themselves as spiritual compared to men?

  40% of women, 28% of men
• In which major faiths in the UK are women more likely to practice their religion?

  All major faiths except for Sikhs
• What did Heelas and Woodhead find about the participation of women in NRMs in Kendal?

  80% of participants were female
• According to Miller and Hoffman (1995), why do women have higher levels of religiosity?

  Women are socialized to be passive and caring
• What qualities valued by most religions are women socialized to have?

  Passive, obedient, and caring
• How does male socialization differ from female socialization according to Miller and Hoffman?

  Men are socialized to be independent and risk-taking
• Why might men be more likely to take the risk of not being religious?

  They are socialized to take risks
• What does Davie (1994) argue about women's connection to key human questions?

  Women are closer to birth and death issues
• How has the disappearance of childbirth dangers affected women's religiosity?

  Women may become less religious
• What does Bruce (2011) suggest about women's child-rearing roles and religiosity?

  Women are less aggressive and more cooperative
• How does Bruce (1996; 2011) explain women's high religiosity in relation to paid work?

  Women have lower involvement in paid work
• What has rationalization done to religion in the public sphere?

  It has driven religion out of the male-dominated public sphere
• How has the privatization of religion affected men's religiosity?

  Men's religiosity has declined more quickly
• What trend occurred by the 1960s regarding women's roles and religiosity?

  Women took on more masculine, secular roles
• What does Brown (2009) refer to as the 'decline of female piety'?

  Women withdrawing from religion due to work
• How have churches changed due to men's withdrawal from religion?

  Churches have become feminized spaces
• What effect did the introduction of female priests in the Church of England have?

  Reinforced the idea of religion as a female domain
• Why do women have more time for religious activities according to Miller and Hoffman?

  Women are more likely to work part-time
• How do women engage with religion in their local communities?

  Through support groups and community activities
• What does Brierley (2005) suggest about women's church participation?

  Women are leaving the church faster than men
• What do Stark and Bainbridge (1985) argue about women's involvement in cults/sects/NRMs?

  They offer compensators for women's deprivation
• What type of deprivation do women suffer according to Stark and Bainbridge?

  Organismic, ethical, and social deprivation
• Why are women attracted to sects and world-rejecting NRMs?

  They see the world in moral decline
• How does social deprivation affect women's religious participation?

  Women look to religion for explanations of poverty
• What role does patriarchy play in women's religious participation?

  Women feel deprived of power and autonomy
• Why do women turn to NAMs and World-Affirming NRMs?

  They celebrate women's roles and provide self-worth
• What class differences exist in women's attraction to religion according to Bruce?

  Middle-class women prefer New Age beliefs
• What do working-class women tend to believe in regarding religion?

  Passive roles and fatalistic ideas
• What is the Pentecostal Gender Paradox?

  Women are attracted to patriarchal Pentecostalism
• How does Brusco (1995; 2012) explain women's attraction to Pentecostalism?

  It counters the culture of machismo
• What do Pentecostal churches expect from their male members?

  To provide for their families responsibly
• How do Latin American women use Pentecostalism to improve their position?

  By critiquing sexual irresponsibility and machismo
• What are the reasons for women's relatively higher levels of religiosity?

  • Socialization to be passive, obedient, and caring
  • Closer connection to birth and death issues
  • More time for religious activities due to part-time work
  • Seeking compensators for deprivation in cults/sects/NRMs
• What are the implications of women's changing roles on their religiosity?

  • Decline in traditional religious participation
  • Attraction to New Age beliefs and practices
  • Churches becoming feminized spaces
  • Increased involvement in community support through religion
• How do class differences affect women's religious beliefs?

  • Middle-class women attracted to New Age beliefs
  • Working-class women drawn to passive roles and fatalism
  • Differences in religious participation based on socioeconomic status