Religion- age, gender, ethnicity and calss Flashcards
Ethnicity and religion
The UK has a multi ethnic, multi religious society, the biggest group being Christians 72% of the population. Other religions who belong to ethnic minorities. .
Brierley did a study in London. Black people x2 likely to attend church than whites, Muslim Hindus and black Christians more likely than white Christians to see religion as important and attend places of worship every week. Black, more likely than whites to be found in Pentecostal churches, made-up 40% of members.
Modood et al found some decline in importance of religion in all ethnic groups especially among second generation
Ethnicity and religion
Cultural defiance
-Bruce argues that religion is some situations offer support, sense of cultural identity in uncertainty or hostile environments
-Bird note, religion among minorities can be a basis for community solidarity and means of preserving one’s culture and language, and a way of coping with depression in a racist society
-Black African & Caribbeans Christians found that white churches in the UK did not actively welcome them, so joined black Led churches, especially Pentecostal
-Brierley showed a significant growth of new churches in London catering for specific languages and nationalities the result of recent migration.
Ethnicity and religion
Cultural Transition
-Easing the transition into a new culture by providing support sense of community for minority groups in the new environment.
-Will Herberg- high levels of religious participation among first generation and immigration in the USA. -Bruce similar pattern in history of migrants in UK Religion provides focal point for Irish, African, Caribbeans, Muslims, Hindus and other communities.
-once a group such as the irish catholics made the tradition in wider society religion may lose its role and decline in importance
Ethnicity and religion
Ken Pruces - Cultural Transition, Cultural defiance
Study of African Caribbean communities in Bristol. Both cultural defiance and cultural transition are important. Pentecostal is highly adaptive religion of the oppressed provides migrants with values appropriate to the new world in which they find themselves. Pentecostalism helps African Caribbeans adopt British society. Helping members succeed by encouraging self resilience. Gives people mutual support and improves their situation. However, Rastafarianism represents a different response for some African Caribbeans radically rejecting wider society as racist and exploitative
Age and religious participation
Older people more likely to attend church services. Under fifteens are generally more likely to go to church, but because they have less choice, go with parents. Apart from 65 and overs. There was a fall in church attendance, sharpest among the youngest, 15 to 19 year olds. Down by half between 2015 and 2025.
Reasons for age diffrence
Voas and Crockett
The aging effect.- as people get older, become more religious. People become more interested in spirituality as they age, as we approach death, become more concerned with spiritual matters, life after death. repentance of past misdeeds. More likely to go to church.
The period of Cohort effect People born during a particular time maybe more or less likely to be religious because of events like war or social change. Sexualization as religious declined in its importance each generation becomes less likely than the one before to go.
Less evidence for the first two explanations argued, secularization main reason why younger people are less likely to be religious than the older. Each succeeding generation half of many people are religious to the one before.
Religion and social class
Clemence (2014)
Historically in Britain close relationship between social class and religious participation. In the postmodern
world this relationship has fragmented and there is evidence to show that class is less important than other factors as indicators of religious belief and practice.
Clemence (2014) found that those of higher economic status were less likely to be religious in comparison to members of the working class.
Religion and social class
Why MC more religious
Traditional view that religiosity was stronger among the working class, tying into Weber’s theodicy of disprivilege that there is a religious explanation and justification for working class suffering, poverty and disadvantage. However, there is evidence which suggests that there
are higher levels of religious participation among the middle classes. A survey in 2015 suggested that 62% of church goers are middle class.
MC attend church as cultural traditions passed down generations. Social net work/ social interactions, spirital furfilmst have materialist things seek spirital furfilmet
Religion and gender
Who are more religious statistics
Women are significantly more likely to attend church and much more likely to report as being religious, for example, Church census records show that in 2005 congregations were divided 57% women and 43% men
Religion and gender
Briefly outline Miller and Hoffman’s
Briefly outline Miller and Hoffman’s three main
reasons for women’s higher levels of religiosity
Gender differences in risk-taking. By not being
religious, people are risking that religion might be
right and risk going to hell. As men are more likely to
be risk takers they are more likely to be less
religious.
Women are socialised to be more passive and
obedient. These are qualities valued by most
religions, so women are more likely to be attracted to
religion
Women’s gender roles mean they are more likely
than men to work part time so they have more time to
participate in religious activity. They are also most
likely to be attracted to the church as a source of
gender identity.
Religion and gender
Explain why women might be attracted to New Age
movements link to Bruce
Bruce- Religion has been driven into the private sphere of family and personal life. The sphere that women are most concerned with. 2 reasons why religion remains
attractive to some women.
-Has strong link to values such as caring for others.
-Men’s decline from religion in the last two centuries has meant that church gradually has become more feminised
women assocail with ‘nature’ (Child birth) and helaing. Movemnts celebrate natre giving womne higer status and sencse of self-worth. Emphasies importnatce of ‘Authencity’ not just acting out role slike gender roles women are more likely to see roles as restricting so move driven to new age movemnets
Glock and Stark
Studied the rise in participation of women in new religious movements. Argued that the incase is due to 3 types of deprivation suffered by women in society.
-Social and economic deprivation- lack of status in society like employment.
-Ethical deprivation- The sence that there has been a moral decline in society & therefore same women want a return to traditionalism strong set of core values that they can relate to.
Organismic deprivation- women are more concerned about their heath than men & therefore many seek the comfort & healing that religions such as christian science claims to produce.
Female decline in religion
Recent decline in woman’s participation in religious activities in the UK. Because traditional religious have be closely bond with traditional gender roles woman’s rejection to subordination has led. them to reject traditional religion at same time.
Bruso
Pentecostalism is a patriarchal religion but women are still attracted this is because-
-Men are seen both heads of households & church
-Instills transitional gender division or labour requires men to provide for their family.
-Women us idea to combat widespread culture of maschiso in Latin America where men often spend 20-40% of house hold income on alcohol/ tobacco/ gambling/prostitution. Pentecostal men are pressured by there pastor to change there ways
-Act responsibly redirect income back to family rising standards for lining for woman and children
-Latin American women can & do use pentacolsalism as a meaning to improve there position
Study in Pentecostals in columbia said women still attracted as Pentecostalism demands that its follower adopt an asceti (self-denying) lifestyle.
