Social Composition - gender, ethnicity and age linked to religious belief and practice Flashcards
Give some examples of how we know women are generally more religious than men
- female churchgoers outnumber males by almost half a million
- more women than men 54%vs41% say they have a religion
- more women than men say religion is important to them (38% vs 26%) and more women describe themselves as spiritual [British attitudes survey]
What does Bruce estimate?
There are twice as many women as men involved in sects.
What did Miller and Hoffman find?
- women express greater interest in religion
- women have a stronger personal commitment to religion
- women attend church more
How do Miller and Hoffman explain the reasons for these gender differences?
- Gender differences in risk-taking - men are more likely to take the risk of being condemned to hell by not being religious
- Women are socialised to be more passive, obedient and caring - these qualities are valued by religions
- women’s gender roles means they are more likely to work part-time / stay at home so have more time to participate in religion
What additional reason does Davie give for why women are more religious than men?
- women are closer to birth and death and this brings them closer to ultimate questions about the meaning of life that religion are concerned with
- women see God as loving and forgiving whereas men see a God of power and control
Give 4 reasons why women are more attracted to the new age and cults than men
- Bruce believes that women’s experiences of bringing up children make them less aggressive and more caring, where men want to achieve, women wish to feel which fits the expressive emphasis of New Age.
- Emphasises the importance of being “authentic” rather than merely acting out roles. Men are less attracted to this as they see it as restrictive.
- The individual sphere. Woodhead says new age beliefs are attractive because they offer a third sphere , the individual sphere, which is concerned with individual autonomy and personal growth rather than role performance. New age beliefs bypass the role conflict (instrumental role in paid work and expressive role in the family) by creating a new source of identity for women.
- Callum Brown says new age attracts women because they appeal to women’s wish for autonomy.
What are the 3 reasons women are more attracted to sects than men according to Stark and Bainbridge?
- Organismic deprivation - women are more likely to suffer ill health and thus seek the healing that sects offer.
- Ethical deprivation - women are more conservative so likely to regard the world as in moral decline which makes them attracted to sects.
- Social deprivation - sects attract poorer groups and women are more likely to be poor.
However what do recent trends suggest about women and religion?
Although women are more likely to be religious than men, there has been a decline in their participation in religious activities in the UK. This is because women have moved into paid work and have rejected traditional subordinate gender roles.
Because 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.
Shows women becoming less religious overtime.
What are the ethnic patterns of religious participation?
- Black people are twice as likely to attend church as whites, in London
- Black people make up 40% of Pentecostal churches
- Modood found a decline in the importance of religion for all ethnic groups and that fewer were observant, especially among the second generation.
Give some reasons for ethnic differences in religiosity
- Most minority ethnic groups originate from poorer countries with traditional cultures, both of which produce higher levels of religious belief and practice.
- For some, religion has been given a new role as cultural defence and cultural transition.
How can cultural defence explain the ethnic patterns of religiosity?
[Bruce and Bird]
- Bruce argues that religion in such situations offers support and a sense of cultural identity in an uncertain or hostile environment.
- Bird notes that religion among minorities can be a basis for community solidarity, a means of preserving one’s culture and language, and a way of coping with oppression in a racist society.
E.g. when Black African and Caribbean Christians found that white churches in the UK didn’t welcome them, they turned to founding or joining black-led churches.
How can cultural transition explain the ethnic patterns of religiosity?
Religion can be a means of easing the transition into a new culture by providing support and sense of community. Herberg (1966) gives this explanation for high levels of religious participation among first generation immigrants in the UK.
E.g. once a group such as Irish Catholics have made the transition into wider society, religion may lose its role and decline in importance.
Describe Pryce’s study
Pryce’s study of the African Caribbean community in Bristol shows both cultural defence and cultural transition have been important. He argues that Pentecostalism is a highly adaptive ‘religion of the oppressed’ that provided migrants with values appropriate to the new world in which they found themselves.
Pentecostalism helped African Caribbeans to adapt to British society, helping its members succeed by encouraging self reliance and thrift. It gave people mutual support and hope of improving their situation. On the other hand, Rastafarianism represented a different response for some African Caribbeans, radically rejecting the wider society as racist and exploitative.
What is the pattern of age and religious participation?
- the older the person is, the more likely they are to attend religious services
- under 15s are generally more likely to go to church than in most age groups above them - because they have less choice and are made to go by parents
- by 2030, 15-19yr olds will make up 25 of church goers.
What are the 3 reasons for age differences in religiosity put forward by Voas and Crockett?
- The ageing effect - people turn to religion as they get older. Heelas argues people are more spiritual as they age/approach death. As we get older we are more concerned with the afterlife and repentance so are more likely to go to church.
- The period or cohort effect - people born during a particular period may be more or less likely to be religious because of particular events they lived through e.g. war or social change.
- Secularisation - as religion declines in importance, each generation becomes less religious than the one before it.
