Thursday, December 25, 2003
Poll: Women more religious
A recent Gallup Poll suggests that American women cherish their faith more and are more active in their congregations than men. The poll of about 1,000 American adults conducted last month found that 69 percent of women think religion is a very important part of their lives while only 53 percent of men feel the same. And 48 percent of women polled said they had attended worship services at least once in the past week, compared with 37 percent of men.
The number of men and women attending services typically is higher around Christmas and other religious holidays, but some think that throughout the year the disparity between men's and women's religious experiences suggest that old family traditions have yet to fade away.
Ann Herda-Rapp, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin Marathon County, said religion's role in the family may explain why more women attend religious services.
"Historically women have been the keepers of tradition in the family and have been primarily responsible for home and family," she said. "I don't know how true that is today, but the poll might reflect some of that."
Even with more women in the workplace than decades ago, women still might feel the pull of family responsibilities, including a child's spiritual development. But Herda-Rapp was surprised by the difference in how important men and women view religion in their lives today. Decades ago, religion was seen by Americans as an organizational affiliation or personal obligation.
"Now we think of it more in terms of individual fulfillment," she said, and she would have expected its importance to be similar between both genders.
People experience religion differently now than they once did, but changes in tradition don't happen overnight, said the Rev. Carolyn Saunders of Christ United Methodist Church in Merrill and Wildwood Chapel near Gleason.
"What I see is that indeed women are more involved (than men) in the life of the church, and that's been a historic fact," Saunders said. "When I was growing up, women were involved in the church and women had the responsibility of making sure the children were raised in the church. And I think our culture and our society in those days said, 'Men have other responsibilities.'"
Saunders still sees the church as a "predominantly female organization," but more young men and young fathers are getting involved in the church community.
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