Religion and social groups Flashcards
(17 cards)
Church attendance
Church attendance figures seem to conflict with trends on religious belief. Churches in more affluent, rural areas tend to have higher attendance than those in urban WC areas which contradicts Marxist ideas. Ashworth and Farthing claim that individuals who rely on state benefits are least likely to attend church services. Voas and Watt suggest that MC attendance is a strategy aimed at making sure their children are enrolled at the best state schools which are often affiliated with the catholic church
Religious Organisations
Historically, trends seemingly suggest that middle class people are more likely to feel attached to traditional churches, whereas working class people are drawn more to movements such as Pentecostalism. Ahern and Davie claim that WC mistrust traditional religions such as Anglicanism because they associate them with authority
gender and religious participation
More women than men participate in religious activities and believe in God. This supports Miller and Hoffmann’s finding that women express greater interest in religion. More women than men say religion is important to them (38% against 26%). Bruce estimates that there are nearly twice as many women as men involved in sects
Miller and Hoffmann: Reasons for gender differences
Women are more religious because they are socialised to be passive, caring and obedient. These qualities are valued in religion.
By not being religious, people are risking that religion might be right and they will be condemned to hell. Men are less risk averse than women meaning they are more likely to take the risk of not being religious
Women have more scope for religious activities as they have fewer work commitments
evaluation of Miller and Hoffmann
Society is becoming more secular and women are more likely to be in employment so don’t have time to participate in religion as they face a dual burden and triple shift
Davie: reasons for gender differences
Women’s closer proximity to birth and death through child bearing and caring for elderly dying relatives brings them closer to ‘ultimate’ questions about the meaning of life that religion is concerned with.
women and the new age
As women are more often associated with nature through childbirth and a healing role they are more attracted to new age movements as they celebrate the natural and involve cults of healing which gives women a higher status and sense of self worth. They also emphasise the importance of being authentic rather than acting out ascribed roles which women find restrictive
women, compensation for deprivation and sects
Stark and Bainbridge argue that people may participate in religion because of the compensators for social deprivation, organismic deprivation and ethical deprivation that it offers. They claim that these forms of deprivation are all more common among women
women and Pentecostalism: Pentecostal gender paradox- Martin
Pentecostalism is regarded as a patriarchal form of religion but it provides a powerful critique of the sexual irresponsibility and wastefulness of machismo culture which allows women to improve their position
cultural defence
Bruce argues that religion in such situations offers support and a sense of cultural identity in an uncertain or hostile environment. As Bird notes religion among minorities can be a basis for community solidarity, a means for preserving one’s culture and language, and a way of coping with oppression inn a racist society.
cultural transition
Religion can be a means of easing the transition into a new culture by providing support and a sense of community for minority groups in their new environment. Bruce applies this to the history of immigration into the UK, where religion has provided a focal point. However once a group has made the transition into wider society, religion may lose its role and decline in importance and significance
ethnicity and religious participation
There are clear ethnic patterns in religious participation with higher than average rates for most minority ethnic groups. O’Bierne’s research suggests that ethnic minorities tend to see religion as a central element of their identity.
Pryce: cultural defence and transition
Study of the African Caribbean community in Bristol showed that Pentecostalism is a highly adaptive ‘religion of the oppressed’ that provided migrants with values appropriate to the new world in which they find themselves. Pentecostalism helped African Caribbeans to adopt to British society by encouraging self reliance.
age and religious participation
Under 15s are more likely to go to church than any other age group because they may be made to do so by parents. The very elderly are more likely to be sick or disabled and therefore unable to attend. In the past higher death rates have also made this a smaller group however the ageing population has impacted this trend
The ageing effect
The view that people turn to religion as they get older and become more interested in spirituality. As people approach death, they become more concerned about spiritual matters and the afterlife. As a result they are more likely to go to church
The generational effect
The view that as society becomes more secular each new generation is less religious than the one before. Therefore there are more old people than young people in church congregations because they grew up in a period when religion was more popular
age profile of sects
young adults are more likely to be economically active and have fewer financial responsibilities than older adults- an important factor in sects when income is given to the sect
