Gender

Question 1

How are women more religious than men?
- Miller and Hoffman

Answer 1

1) Are more likely to express a greater interest in religion
2) Have a stronger personal religious commitment
3) Attend church more often

Question 2

What does Greely argue?

Answer 2

Before women acquire a partner/children, their religiosity is not dissimilar to men
- ‘taking care’ = assume greater responsibility
- W are more involved in caring than practical responsibilities
- caring associated with a religious outlook

Question 3

What 2 concepts do Miller and Hoffman discuss?

Answer 3

1) Differential socialisation
2) Differential roles

Question 4

What is differential socialisation?

Answer 4

F- taught to be submissive, passive, obedient, nurturing
- these traits are compatible with religiosity
- M who internalise these roles ten to be more religious than men who do not

Question 5

What are differential roles?

Answer 5

F- lower rates of participation in paid work, more time for curch related activities
- need for source of personal identity commitment
- higher p in childrearing
- increases religiosity coincides with concern for family well being

Question 6

Why are women more likely to be religious because of risk aversion?

Answer 6

Women are more risk averse
- religion has a lot to gain and little to lose, this attracts more women

Question 7

HALMAN AND DRAULANS
Women as the guardians of family life

Answer 7

W expected to be the defenders of tradition
- major responsibilities of looking after home, family, children
- take charge of child’s moral development
- introduce them to approved social values, including religious belief

Question 8

KNOTT
Biological differences

Answer 8

Spiritual themes in childbearing
- powerful coping mechanisms
- childbirth as a spiritually transforming experience
Women are more religious following childbirth

Question 9

Why is life expectancy a factor to explaining greater religiosity among women?

Answer 9

W live longer than men
- more likely to be widowed
- turn to religion as a source of support and comfort
- mean of building support networks in their communities
- live on their own as they grow older

Question 10

Examples of New Age Movements

Answer 10

• spiritualism
• meditation
• wicca
• new age herbalism
• crystal therapy
• astrology

Question 11

BRUCE
NAMs

Answer 11

Women are more likely to joins NAMs due to their more feminine features

Question 12

ALDRIDGE
NAMs

Answer 12

Image of the goddess in some NAMs give women a central role
- offers more positive image of femininity than traditional religions do

Question 13

What is wicca?

Answer 13

Combination of religion and feminism
‘women’s spirituality’

Question 14

Women are more attracted to sects and cults, how do Glock and Stark explain this?

Answer 14

Use the concept of relative deprivation saying some women feel relatively deprived compared with men

Question 15

What are the 4 types of relative deprivation that Glock and Stark identified?

Answer 15

1) Social deprivation
2) Organismic deprivation
3) Ethical deprivation
4) Psychic deprivation

Question 16

What is social deprivation?

Answer 16

Stem from a lack of power, prestige or status

Question 17

Why are women more likely to experience social deprivation and how can NAMs help?

Answer 17

NRMs can give them liberation from control
- Jehova’s witnesses, alternative source of satisfaction

Question 18

What is Organismic deprivation?

Answer 18

Experienced by those who suffer physical and mental problems
- may turn to sects in the hope of being healed or as an alternative to drugs and alcohol

Question 19

Why might men with physical or mental illnesses be less attracted to alternative treatments offered my NRMs?

Answer 19

They may be ridiculed as it does not fit the stereotypical role of a man

Question 20

What is ethical deprivation?

Answer 20

Result of people perceiving the world to be in moral decline and therefore retreating into an introversionist sect which separates itself from mainstream society

Question 21

Why might women be more driven to ac upon their ethical deprivation?

Answer 21

Women have more moral responsibilities attached to them
e.g. childcare, family, a child’s moral development

Question 22

What is psychic depriavtion?

Answer 22

Refers to those searching for more than the dominanat value system offers
- wish for inner spiritual fulfilment rather than consumerist goals on offer in capitalist societies
e.g moonies

Question 23

Why would feminists argue that women experience psychic deprivation?

Answer 23

The dominant value system does not benefit them as it is in favour of men
- malestream and patriarchal

Question 24

What are fundamentalist religions according to Cohen and Kennedy?

Answer 24

‘The desire to restore fundamentalist religions is associated with the fear that any real increase in women’s freedom will undermine male control

Question 25

Why do Cohen and Kennedy suggest men are more attracted to Fundamentalist movements?

Answer 25

They fear that the increase in women’s freedom will undermine male control because men want to maintain control

Question 26

How can Cohen and Kennedy be criticised?

Answer 26

Many women join these movements in order to reduce the ambiguities associated with women’s role today
- they must be involved to make a difference

Question 27

What is an example of a fundamentalist religion?

Answer 27

RASTAFARIANISM
- women are regarded as subordinate to men
- built around male control

Question 28

What are the 5 changing trends identified by Aune?

Answer 28

1) Fertility levels
2) Feminist values
3) Paid employment
4) Family diversity
5) Sexuality

Question 29

1) Fertility levels

Answer 29

Women have fewer children now
- leading to general decrease in church attendance amongst both genders

Question 30

2) Feminist values

Answer 30

Feminism began influencing women in the 1960s and the 1970s
- challenged Christian views about women’s’ roles
- raised women’s aspirations

Question 31

3) Paid employment

Answer 31

Less women were in paid work by the beginning of the 20th century
Nowadays many women work
Hard to juggle a job + childcare + housework + church

Question 32

4) Family diversity

Answer 32

single people, single-parent families, cohabitation
- all under-provided for/discouraged by the church

Question 33

How does Woodhead agree with Aune?

Answer 33

The decline of women’s participation and attendance in religious organisations is tied in with the increasing numbers of women entering the workforce