More Religious, Less Dogmatic: Reexamining Gender Differences in Religiosity

• In Event: 262 - Section on Sociology of Religion Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 05. Piety, Gender, and Ethnicity

Abstract

Gender differences in religiosity are one of the most consistent findings in the sociology of religion. Rather than explore what might explain women’s great religiosity on previously examined measures, this study examines whether there are gender differences in religious dogmatism. Using U.S. (Baylor Religion Survey 2007) and international data (International Social Survey 2008), I estimate ordered logistic regression models to examine whether and to what extent women’s religious dogmatism parallels their greater overall religiosity net of other factors. Analyses reveal that women are generally more religious, but less dogmatic. This means that although women tend to be more religious than men, their religiousness appears to be more inclusive and tolerant than that of men. These patterns parallel the same-sex marriage attitude paradox: women are more religious than men and religiousness is negatively associated with support for same-sex marriage, and yet women are more supportive of same-sex marriage. As I demonstrate in the conclusion, this study has important implications for research on the study of gender, the study of religion, and the intersection of the two.

Author

• Landon Schnabel, Indiana University-Bloomington