Groundbreaking research reveals women are not only more religious than men globally but also more actively practice their faith daily, challenging traditional gender roles.



For centuries, we’ve known that men and women are very different, and not just biologically, but emotionally, socially, and intellectually. We’ve heard phrases like “Men are microwaves and women are crockpots,” or “Men are like waffles and women are like spaghetti,” and know them to be true. But have you ever considered these differences in relation to religion?

According to a monumental study conducted by Professor Sascha Becker (University of Warwick), Jeanet Sinding Bentzen (University of Copenhagen), and Chun Chee Kok (Université Catholique de Louvain), Gender and Religion: A Survey in the Journal of Demographic Economics, women aren’t just more religious than men, but they’re more likely to live the faith out daily.

Using global survey data, the three authors have identified a striking pattern: women identify with a religious tradition, pray regularly, and describe faith as central to their daily lives significantly more than men. “This holds across countries, cultures, and most major faiths,” said the three authors.

While this can look different depending on culture or context, the study reveals that for the Christian faith specifically, “The increased likelihood of Christian women to engage in prayer may be down to ‘women’s greater emotional expressiveness and caregiving roles’” (Christian Today).

Although religious participation used to primarily be historically attached to gender roles, job location, or economic role, this study reveals that many factors have been at play. Women tend to be more at-risk than men, religion often offers a social safety net, or sense of identity, and with a longer life expectancy, it’s no wonder religion is important to them.

Despite all of these claims, the report concludes that no single theory or study can explain this paradox: “Women’s participation in formal employment, their reproductive rights, and their legal rights and responsibilities are still shaped openly by religious teachings and indirectly through the influence of faith on legislators. Against this background, it is clearly a puzzle that women are, on average, more religious than men despite most religions promoting and entrenching patriarchal norms which impose significant costs and burdens upon them.”

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