Recent data shows that the long-held thought that women are more religious than men may be changing.
According to Christianity Today, new Gallup survey data showed that among those born in 1980, the religion-gender gap narrows to about two percentage points. Among those born in 1990, that gap disappears, and with those born in 2000 or later, women are more likely to be religious nones than men.
This is in contrast to data from October 2021 that found that among those born in 1950, a quarter of men identified as atheist, agnostic, or nothing in particular, compared to just 20 percent of women at that same age.
That gap continues among those born in 1960 and 1970 as well.
But among 18 to 25-year-olds, 49 percent of women are nones, compared to just 46 percent of men.
Researchers have also noticed a gender gap in church attendance.
In 2016, the Pew Research Center showed that Christian women around the world are, on average, seven percentage points more likely than men to attend services.
In the U.S., older men are more likely to say they never attend church services when compared to women of the same age group.
The religious gap has been an issue that churches have largely tried to address. In many cases, men’s ministries have focused on encouraging husbands and fathers to become involved in the church and become spiritual leaders of their households.
Among other findings, the new survey data found:
- Among Hispanic young people, men are eight percentage points more likely to be religious nones than women.
- Among white respondents, women are nine percentage points more likely to say they have no religious affiliation compared to white men.
- Among college-educated adults under 25, women (39 percent) are less likely to say they have no religious affiliation than men (45 percent).
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Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
