Why Do More Women Than Men Still Believe in God?

[Whitney]

Professors at Trinity College in Connecticut analyzed the numbers of Americans unaffiliated to any religion. While the number of male nonbelievers was rocketing, the overall totals were slowed by women hitching themselves to the anchor of faith: “Gender difference is a brake on the growth of the No Religion population,” says the study, which found that 19 percent of men were no longer denizens of a religious America, while only 12 percent of women live outside the faithful fold. In the past, one could say that women tended the hearth, and men participated in the marketplace. But today?

{snip}

Some researchers hypothesize that women are hardwired to believe because of evolutionary imperatives. Belief in Godâ€"or the Mount Olympus ensemble cast, or a phalanx of wood spirits, and so onâ€"has long been connected with tribal ritual, and formed the center of communities. Women relied on these communities for the survival of their children, while men were off spearing buffalo, pillaging neighboring settlementsâ€"or whatever the caveman business trip furnished. The relationship between belonging and belief is an ancient one. It may have resulted in the development of certain alleles connected to a sense of God, or at least a commitment to religion.

Full Text:  http://www.doublex.com/section/life/why ... elieve-god

[pauldavis]

Your point about tribalism suggests a related point: The possible correlation between the overall reduction of tribalism both for survival and comfort and how that might, in part, anyway, relate to the growth of atheism.

Not to attempt to paint tribalism as a complete anachronism -- far from it!  But, as prosperity grows, it does seem to be a pattern that people are less inclined to huddle in protective groups and branch out on their own.  Thus, you have Islam making big headway in third world countries while Christianity gasps for survival in Europe and is increasingly short of breath in the USA too.

You can see a similar pattern within Christianity itself: Sects start up as fanatical and dogmatic, and their adherents are almost always people from the poorer classes who are attracted by that sense of belonging to something greater than themselves -- whom they view as being weak and helpless.  Then, as time goes on, if the people prosper, the sect begins to migrate to the "mainstream", where only lip service remains to those dogmatic ideas.

My own family experience does a good job of illustrating this.  When I was a child, my family belonged to a denomination called "Evangelical United Brethren" (EUB), which was itself an amalgam of two earlier sects, "Evangelical" and "United Brethren", both of whom were, in their beginnings, very hell-fire-and-brimstone.  But time and prosperity had worn the sharp edges off both groups, and by the time I came along they could no longer figure out what significant doctrinal differences there were, so they merged, largely out of practical considerations.

The edges kept coming off, and maybe 20 or so years later,  the EUB church and the Methodists could no longer figure out what their differences were either, so they merged and became "United Methodist".  My smattering understanding of the Methodist church is that it also underwent a similar metamorphosis toward blandness in reaching the point that brought it to the merger.

Another way of looking at what I am calling "blandness" would be as a retreat from the visceral appeal of the comfort-giving message of salvation from imaginary doom and a stronger emphasis toward real-world issues like poverty and injustice.  These are issues that appeal to people who are no longer struggling for their own survival and now have the means and the desire to reach out to others.  They are also much more intellectual issues, since they require people to imagine problems others are having vis-a-vis being absorbed by their own experiences.

One might hope that this process I have noted would automatically work itself to a logical conclusion -- the complete dropping of the original trappings involving invisible people in the sky and below the earth -- and churches would eventually become just places for people to congregate and socialize and work together for the betterment of humanity.  I cherish that hope, but, quite frankly, I have my doubts.

The problem lies in that core belief in nonsense.  As long as it's there, it represents an unlocked door waiting to be opened by the next clever charlatan who realizes the potential it has to help him (or her) perpetrate whatever harmful endeavor is being concocted.  That was precisely the issue that Rachel, the protagonist in my story Get Real faced and tried to shine a light on -- almost resulting in her kidnapping and (presumably) torture.

A useful question for us to ask ourselves in this regard is why atheists (along with their bedfellows like "agnostics", "humanists", etc.) don't step up and offer an alternative to churches in providing this kind of thing.  If such an institution were available, it would give people who no longer had an interest in the invisible people someplace to go to get those other needs met.

[Will]

As women gain equality more, able to get a better education, able to get into better jobs (and I mean worldwide), the numbers will level out.

BTW, atheist women are the best.  

[SSY]

Anecdote ahoy, but a lot of the girls I know/knew you go/went to church did so largely in a social context, they enjoyed meeting up with all their friends. While I never pursued a serious argument with them, I really doubt any of them had given the fundamental questions of theistic belief any considered thought.

[Loffler]

Daddy complex.

[artwomyn]

I'm a female Atheist, and proud of it.  I was raised in the Bible Belt, and was taught to believe in a god by those around me.  As I grew older, I questioned the idea of a god.  I figured why was there a god, when proof of evolution is overwhelming.  As a feminist, I also rejected the idea of a male deity, and patriarchal religion in general.  Patriarchal religion, has been used as a tool to oppress women for centuries.

I do agree with others on this thread, who think that more women believe in god, because they are
still more powerless than men.  Other oppressed groups in society tend to believe in a god, in much larger numbers than those with social and economic privilege.  I'm a rare bird, because I also happen to be a female African American atheist.  From what I've observed, the vast majority of African American females, seem to have a fervent belief in a god.   I think the reason why, is because they are doubly oppressed, as both females and African Americans.  I respect the right of others to believe in a god.  But to me, there's just too much evidence that a god doesn't exist.

[AlP]

I'm a female Atheist, and proud of it.  I was raised in the Bible Belt, and was taught to believe in a god by those around me.  As I grew older, I questioned the idea of a god.  I figured why was there a god, when proof of evolution is overwhelming.  As a feminist, I also rejected the idea of a male deity, and patriarchal religion in general.  Patriarchal religion, has been used as a tool to oppress women for centuries.

I do agree with others on this thread, who think that more women believe in god, because they are
still more powerless than men.  Other oppressed groups in society tend to believe in a god, in much larger numbers than those with social and economic privilege.  I'm a rare bird, because I also happen to be a female African American atheist.  From what I've observed, the vast majority of African American females, seem to have a fervent belief in a god.  I think the reason why, is because they are doubly oppressed, as both females and African Americans.  I respect the right of others to believe in a god.  But to me, there's just too much evidence that a god doesn't exist.

Welcome to the forum artwomyn.

I'm male, white, wealthy and brought up atheist, which maybe makes it difficult to see things from the perspective of someone who might be more likely to be religious, so I would appreciate your thoughts. I read somewhere, and it stuck with me, that lack of security or control of one's life might be a cause of more religious belief. The USA seems like an anomaly to me. I'm Scottish but I have lived in the USA since my mid 20s. America is quite religious and yet like many western countries that are overwhelmingly not religious, it is wealthy. But there are other differences. For example, the USA has little in the way of safeguards like welfare. The government tends to make quite pivotal (maybe even rash) decisions. Americans are stressed. Maybe that makes religion more appealing.

Anyway, to get things back on topic, might women and African Americans feel less in control? And African American women doubly so? Thereby leading them to be more religious?

[Kylyssa]

I do agree with others on this thread, who think that more women believe in god, because they are
still more powerless than men.  Other oppressed groups in society tend to believe in a god, in much larger numbers than those with social and economic privilege.  I'm a rare bird, because I also happen to be a female African American atheist.  From what I've observed, the vast majority of African American females, seem to have a fervent belief in a god.   I think the reason why, is because they are doubly oppressed, as both females and African Americans.

I think you are right on the money with this.

I have long thought that people who have a reduced or hampered hope of finding happiness in reality have a greater vulnerability to religion.

[Ultima22689]

I'm a female Atheist, and proud of it.  I was raised in the Bible Belt, and was taught to believe in a god by those around me.  As I grew older, I questioned the idea of a god.  I figured why was there a god, when proof of evolution is overwhelming.  As a feminist, I also rejected the idea of a male deity, and patriarchal religion in general.  Patriarchal religion, has been used as a tool to oppress women for centuries.

I do agree with others on this thread, who think that more women believe in god, because they are
still more powerless than men.  Other oppressed groups in society tend to believe in a god, in much larger numbers than those with social and economic privilege.  I'm a rare bird, because I also happen to be a female African American atheist.  From what I've observed, the vast majority of African American females, seem to have a fervent belief in a god.   I think the reason why, is because they are doubly oppressed, as both females and African Americans.  I respect the right of others to believe in a god.  But to me, there's just too much evidence that a god doesn't exist.

YOU'RE A UNICIORN!!!!


I have never, ever, ever met an atheist black female, I almost thought they didn't exist!

[Kylyssa]

YOU'RE A UNICIORN!!!!


I have never, ever, ever met an atheist black female, I almost thought they didn't exist!

In the poly community, "unicorn" means something else entirely - the elusive bisexual woman looking to find a couple to join with to make a triad.

[Ultima22689]

YOU'RE A UNICIORN!!!!


I have never, ever, ever met an atheist black female, I almost thought they didn't exist!

In the poly community, "unicorn" means something else entirely - the elusive bisexual woman looking to find a couple to join with to make a triad.

I certainly didn't mean that. >_>

[LoneMateria]

YOU'RE A UNICIORN!!!!


I have never, ever, ever met an atheist black female, I almost thought they didn't exist!

In the poly community, "unicorn" means something else entirely - the elusive bisexual woman looking to find a couple to join with to make a triad.

Um... TMI

[Renegnicat]

So women are repressed, and thus are driven into the hands of god? I can understand that. I used to be very anti-woman. Not any more though.  

[Ellainix]

In the bigger picture, the "women are oppressed" hypothesis is most likely true. I believe that militarism in ancient civilizations is more likely the originating reason that women are generally oppressed. After that, religion just kept them in "their place".

I'm not a fan of feminism, my friends who became feminists were the kind who would only date really hot assholes, then complain why do all guys...? Yeah... I'm into equality.

But Nikola Tesla has a pretty interesting idea of women's future.

YOU'RE A UNICIORN!!!!


I have never, ever, ever met an atheist black female, I almost thought they didn't exist!

In the poly community, "unicorn" means something else entirely - the elusive bisexual woman looking to find a couple to join with to make a triad.

Um... TMI

I say not enough!

[Ninteen45]

I'm a female Atheist, and proud of it.  I was raised in the Bible Belt, and was taught to believe in a god by those around me.  As I grew older, I questioned the idea of a god.  I figured why was there a god, when proof of evolution is overwhelming.  As a feminist, I also rejected the idea of a male deity, and patriarchal religion in general.  Patriarchal religion, has been used as a tool to oppress women for centuries.

I do agree with others on this thread, who think that more women believe in god, because they are
still more powerless than men.  Other oppressed groups in society tend to believe in a god, in much larger numbers than those with social and economic privilege.  I'm a rare bird, because I also happen to be a female African American atheist.  From what I've observed, the vast majority of African American females, seem to have a fervent belief in a god.   I think the reason why, is because they are doubly oppressed, as both females and African Americans.  I respect the right of others to believe in a god.  But to me, there's just too much evidence that a god doesn't exist.

Honestly, You are only Physically oppressed.

How many women can give candy to children without being called perverts?

Now compare that to men.

And Now, For child fostering. Male to Female ratio? Now, Cout out the Goood parents. Male to female ratio?