Religiosity and social groups Flashcards
(17 cards)
What are the gender differences in religious practices?
-Women are more interested in religion
-Most churchgoers are female (Outnumber men by half a million
-Fewer women are agnostic or athiest
How can risk, socialisation and roles explain gender differences
Miller and Hoffman
1)Men are less risk averse and so more likely to take risk of not being religious and going to hell
2) Women socialised to be more passive obedient and caring, traits that are valued by the church
3)Women more likely to work part time/ be housewives so more time to partake
1)Why does Davie argue that women are more religious, 2)why are women becoming a bit less religious recently
1) Women are closer to death (childbirth,caring for elderly family members) so think of ultimate questions of life more often.
2) Women face fewer risks due to technology improving childbirth experience so less religious
According to Bruce, how has paid work influenced womens religiosity?
Religin has declined in work sphere due to rationalisation so mens religiosity declines faster
-women less likely to be in paid work so not affected by this as they are more likely to be at home where religion has been privatised to
How does Brown support Bruces view on paid work?
WHen more women entered work, religiosity declined
How has religion become feminised
Mens withdrawl from religion mean that churches now spaces that that favour womens concerns e.g attentiveness
-Is a cycle which makes religion mroe attractive to women
Why are women more likely to be attracted to New Age movements
Women more associated with nature and caring, values that New Age movements focus on so women have higher status
-Woodhead; gives women an individual sphere that allows indivdual autonomy, not acting out role of mother/wife
What are the class differences between womens involvement in New Age movement
m/c more likely to be interestedin those that talk about autonomy/ self development whilst w/c involved in religions that give them a passive role/ fatalistic ideas e.g horoscopes
Why do Stark and Bainbridge argue women are attracted to sects
Provides compensators for their deprivation
ethical, organismic and social (women more likely to be poor, ill health and morally conservative
What is the pentecostal gender paradox?
Women in latin America use religion to challenge ‘machismo culture’ as Pentecostalism argues mean shouldnt spend money on tobacco, prostitutes etc but instead redirect into into their household, positvely benefiting women
-Shows religion may be attractive to some women in non-western societies as it can help benefit their position even though pentecostalism is a patriarchal religion
What are the ethnic differences in religiosity?
Religious participation is higher for ethnic minorities
-Brierly found black Christians are twice as likely to attend a church as whites
-Blacks are more likely to be in pentecostal churches (40% of membership)
-decline in religious importance in ethnic groups particularly second generation
What are the three reasons for ethnic differences in religiosity
-Countrys of origin
-Cultural defence
Cultural transition
How can having different countries of origin lead to differences in religiosity?
EM originate from poorer countries with higher levels of religiosity (link to existental security)
-They then transfer their patterns of religiosity when in the UK
How can cultural defence explain ethnic differences in religiosity
Bird-
Religion can be a sense of community solidarity to preserve your culture and language
-Can also help deal with oppression in racist society e.g black christians rejected from white churches so turned to black-led, pentecostal churches
How can cultural transitionexplain ethnic differences in religiosity
Allows you to ease into a new culture by providing support and community
-Religious importance may decline once transition is made e.g using pentecostalism to learn values e.g hard-work that are valued in UK
What are the general trends of age and religiosity?
-The older a person is the more likely they are to attend religious services
-Under 15s are also more likely as they are made to go by parents
What are the three possible explanations for age differences in religiosity?
Voas and Crockett
Ageing effect; as we get closer to death we may be more concerned with the afterlife so more likely to go to church
-Period effect; people born during a particular period may be more/less religious due to events they lived through e.g wars
Secularisation; religion declines in importance so each generation is less religios than the next (main reason according to Voas and Crockett)
