Women Show Deep Drop In Church Attendance, Survey Says

By Adelle M. Banks
c. 2011 Religion News Service

(RNS) Women, long considered the dominant pew dwellers in the nation's churches, have shown a dramatic drop in attendance in the last two decades, a new survey shows.

Since 1991, the percentage of women attending church during a typical week has decreased by 11 percentage points to 44 percent, the Barna Group reported Monday (Aug. 1).

Sunday school and volunteering among women also has diminished. Two decades ago, half of all women read the Bible in a typical week -- other than at religious events. Now 40 percent do.

The survey also found a marked stepping away from congregations: a 17 percentage increase in the number of women who have become "unchurched."

"For years, many church leaders have understood that 'as go women, so goes the American church,'" wrote Barna Group founder George Barna, on his website. "Looking at the trends over the past 20 years, and especially those related to the beliefs and behavior of women, you might conclude that things are not going well for conventional Christian churches."

The Ventura, Calif.-based researchers compared surveys of more than 1,000 people in 1991 and 2011.

They found that the percentage of women who strongly believe the Bible is accurate in all it teaches declined by 7 percentage points to 42 percent. And those who view God as "the all-knowing, all-powerful and perfect Creator of the universe who still rules the world today" dropped from 80 percent to 70 percent.

"Women used to put men to shame in terms of their orthodoxy of belief and the breadth and consistency of their religious behavior," wrote Barna. "No more; the religious gender gap has substantially closed."

Comments

[mjeffn]

03:52 AM on 08/26/2011

Xians, it doesn't matter one way or the other. You will fail in your efforts to destroy the separation of church and state. The US will remain a secular country regardless.

[MyFatCat]

05:44 PM on 08/21/2011

I'm not seeing how a drop in church attendance is necessarily equivalent to a "loss of faith." There's often a gap between what happens in the ritual of religion and what happens in the work of the Spirit.

Churches can struggle with an "echo chamber" effect where orthodoxy, not belief, is celebrated, conventional gender roles are enforced, and a social pecking order maintains positions without necessarily a regard for ability or merit. The same forces women face in the workplace are also in the faith place, without the tools needed to oppose them.

An overly patriarchal interpretation of what Christian Scripture says can also drive women away. It's the church of Jesus, not the church of Paul. The letters of Paul scolding women in specific instances and times don't have to apply.

A generation that went to church because "that's what you did" have seen the children grow up and move out. It shouldn't surprise anyone that a critical assessment of what being spiritual really means has begun. I believe God means for us to be in community, and the rules for community may have to change to account for women's ways of worship and paths to the Godhead.

[speedy Gonzales]

12:31 AM on 08/21/2011

How is it that some person/persons were able to forecast to the letter somethings that would happen a few thousand years later? Women tend to be more thoughtful and willing to listen and read. Maybe it is the mother thing and wanting the best for there offspring. It is trully a shame that many women have lost there faith due to the spititual climate in our society. Take a true look at Bibilical Scripture and how it relates. The Number One Commandant given by Jesus from One Human to another is Love thy Neighbor as Thyself - Gay, White, Black, purple, or green we are all the same! To look into the Heavens and know that they are infinite and not believe in a soul that will answer for it's very short time on Earth seems absurd! God used all to tell Men and Women the wonders of the Bible - Read It - your Eternity depends on It!

[DaveRIndy]

08:26 AM on 08/18/2011

Oops. I have another honest question. This is a religion that is based on a god (Jesus) who allows others to kill him, and a relative (father-god) who lets it happen. How can that religion then call suicide a sin, and also say that euthanasia is wrong?

[iknowscottyknows]

03:39 PM on 09/03/2011

Pearls before pigs.

[DaveRIndy]

08:12 AM on 08/18/2011

When I go to "Center for Inquiry" events (a group of humanists, atheists and agnostics), the men outnumber the women by at least 3 to 1 at every meeting. I often wonder why. Are women more gullible? Are men rebelling against the strictures of religion? Might make an interesting study.
I also question the use of "puts women to shame". It is not a shame to not believe in religious fantasy. The shame should be on the institutions that promote believing in imaginary things.

[owlafaye]

04:01 AM on 08/16/2011

Our societal sexual obsession addiction is used to control basic functions in our society such as mating and the formation of families...women are becoming more aware of their subservient role in this control game. They are getting in touch with their sexuality and beginning to live out of their true spiritual selves. The sexual roles that we are taught are destructive. In "Sex and Religious Fundamentalism" by Amgelyn Ray (available on Kindle next week), the strange role of Christianity in our sexual upbringing is explored in rather fascinating detail.

It is important for all women (and men) to work on heightening their self-awareness.

The path out of the morass called Christianity is difficult at first. With assited insight from experts in the field, women will find that the path is lit with knowledge and leads to TRUTH.

The LIE that is Christianity is a terrible thing in our society.

[trekie70]

05:51 PM on 08/12/2011

Seriously, does this really surprise anyone? Women have been vilified, yes, vilified by one church another since the founding of Christianity. Who would want to stay in a church where they are told their only role is to sit down, shut up and pop-out babies?

There's an excellent article by Rev. Susan Sparks at HP that speaks to the role of women in the church

[maigrey]

03:07 PM on 08/11/2011

Hey now that's some good news! My friend who is deeply religious quit her church because they wouldn't allow a gay couple to attend (good friends of hers). HUGE mistake. 24 years of teaching Sunday school for them and she walked the moment the pastor wouldn't allow her friends to partake in communion. When I say deeply religious, I mean a real Christian, someone who does not judge and loves all.

[researcher]

03:35 AM on 08/11/2011

religion is about the male ego.

maybe women are figuring that out.

no way not in america.

look at the leadership in most religions. ie male leaders at the top even those that pretend not to be sexist.

[marind]

11:26 AM on 08/10/2011

Only article today with GOOD news!

Maybe women are beginning to figure out that one of the main purposes of most religions is to tell women they are 2nd rate.

[slowfoodgirl]

11:10 PM on 08/07/2011

less religious more spiritual

[nancyrgymnast]

10:41 PM on 08/07/2011

At my old church the Pastors would constantly tell the girls how to dress, long skirts (EVERDAY!) not to cut their hair, put their hair up,dont die your hair, dont go in the guys cabins at camp, and while they they tell us this the guys in that church are addicted to drugs. needless to say we switched churches.

[fem56]

03:40 PM on 08/06/2011

Jesus had tremendous respect for woman. Many of his most important faithful followers were strong women. His twelve disciples were men but women couldn't have traveled with him in those days. He showed himself first to women after he was raised from the dead.

[fem56]

03:30 PM on 08/06/2011

They want to stay home and read the funny papers and drink Starbucks coffee.

[Edward Wilkes]

07:38 PM on 08/06/2011

No, they are now all on drugs!

[maigrey]

03:11 PM on 08/11/2011

That's a repulsive statement.

[marind]

11:27 AM on 08/10/2011

More likely they are having to work two jobs to support their families now that the GOP has stolen all of the money in the economy.

[veryradiant]

02:23 AM on 08/06/2011

Unfortunately many churches have not been attractive to men. Therefore many of those men drop out leaving their wives to attend. That is not a satisfactory situation. Either the couple moves to a church that is more friendly to men or the wife just quits after a while.
Sorry about generalizing about married couples but church attendance is usually dominated by married couples. But that is topic of another article...