Gender-role Socialisation

Question 1

Miller + Hoffman

Answer 1

Claim that women are more prone to being religious due to the norms + values they are socialised into following

Question 2

Risk adverse

Answer 2

Women are encouraged to be more risk averse than men, may lead to them practicing religion ‘ to be safe ‘ as they worry that if they reject the belief in god, that this may lead to them being punished in the afterlife if it exists

Question 3

Passive + obedient

Answer 3

Women are taught from an early age to be more passive + obedient, this may drive towards religion as they are inclined to follow a structure + rules

Question 4

Caring role

Answer 4

Women learn from an early age that they are to have a caring role in the future, lives often revolve around the care of children or sick + elderly relatives + more likely to work in jobs which provide a care service - attract them to religion as it promotes the idea of caring for the needy

Question 5

Davie

Answer 5

Observes that women are closer to birth + death than men, which makes them more likely to question the meaning of life + to use religion as a means of coping with this

Question 6

Evaluation

Answer 6

• critics notes that women are turning away from the traditional expectations that they should be careers, which may turn away from religion

It isn’t clear if some of the issues described are actually rooted in socialisation or if there are practical reasons for their involvement in religion - women with children may take them to church because they want to get them into a good school, rather than it being connected to their own feminity