Ever since statisticians began tracking religiosity of Americans, women have routinely polled more religious than men. The idea that women are inherently more prone to religious belief has, throughout generations, almost been held as axiomatic by religious scholars.
Until today. Among Gen Z (those born from 1997-2012), evidence shows that for the first time in history, men are more religious than women. Now many experts are trying to figure out why.
Young Men Come to Worship
After decades of seeing more women than men walk through the door, pastors at churches across America report that Gen Z men are suddenly outnumbering their female counterparts.
When the New York Times reported on the issue recently, they profiled Grace Church, a Southern Baptist congregation. After church leaders opened a small congregation in the town of Robinson, Texas last year, they were surprised to see that 75% of the young people regularly attending were men.
“We’ve been talking about it from the beginning,” said pastor Phil Barnes. “What’s the Lord doing? Why is he sending us all of these young men?”
What's the Cause?
It's a multifaceted question. One popular theory is that Gen Z men are lacking a sense of belonging, meaning, and value – and are turning to church to find it.
According to Derek Rishmawy, who leads a ministry at UC Irvine, Christianity is seen as “one institution that isn’t initially and formally skeptical of [men] as a class." He explains: “We’re telling them, ‘you are meant to live a meaningful life.’”
Kitron Ferrier, a student at Baylor University, offered another explanation: “Young men are attracted to harder truths." Occasionally, he prefers messages with a little “wrath of God” in them, Ferrier says.
But this phenomenon also involves an exodus of women. Experts point out that while churches may be attracting more young men, young women are also showing up in fewer numbers – helping to skew the ratio.
Women Flee the Pews
In 2018, the world of faith was shocked when a Pew study revealed that the fastest growing religion in America was “None.”
Now we know that women are leading the charge. Earlier this year, another study on faith in America, this time by the Survey Center on American Life, unveiled that young women are leaving the church at an astounding rate.
The survey found that amongst Gen Z youth, 39% of women describe themselves as religiously unaffiliated, compared to just 34% of Gen Z men. Amongst other generations, from Millennial to Baby Boomer, women remain more religious than men.
Why Are Women Leaving?
But why is this happening? It could be a lack of fair treatment. According to one poll, nearly two-thirds of women age 18-29 say that "most churches and religious congregations" do not treat women equal to men. Other scholars suggest that Christianity's hardline stance on issues like abortion, IVF, and LGBTQ+ rights factors into play.
“I can’t go to a place of worship and know that the person next to me thinks that gay people are going to burn in hell,” said Becca Clark, a social work student and former Southern Baptist. “I still believe in God and Jesus and all that, I just struggle to call myself a Christian.”
A review of the NYT article's comment section provides some other interesting, and scathing, potential explanations.
Nicole in Seattle said: "Churches historically ran on unpaid women’s labor while denying them an positions of administrative or spiritual authority. Will be interesting to see these young men take over the helper roles to keep their churches running while looking for their traditional wives. Churches have never treated women well. The young women have it right."
Karen in Texas said: "As someone who was deeply involved in the Texas Baptist church and knows very well the type of evangelicals being highlighted here, this is scary. Endless pews of young white conservative men in khakis bonding over a God that tells them they are meant to lord over the women around them. As they fall behind in education and are called out for misogyny and racism they grasp at the one thing telling them that they are perfect the way they are and believe anyone opposing them is outside the will of their God…truly scary times."
An anonymous commenter offered a counter-argument:
"People go where they feel valued and connected. For many women this is obviously not in the pews of these churches, while for men it is. The question is, what work is being done to make young men feel valued in a way that doesn't put down or harm women? How can the loneliness and alienation many men feel be directed in the healthiest and best way? It's easy to say, as many in the comments have said, that these young men are inherently misogynistic and want to put women in their place (i.e., the home) but I'm not sure that's entirely the case, and it also isn't really a solution to the problem. Giving men meaning and hope without diminishing women will improve our politics and our society and hopefully weaken the toxic right-wing worldviews many young men are being exposed to while also empowering women."
What Does the Future of Church Look Like?
Unless this trend reverses course, churches may look wildly different in the coming years and decades.
“I’m not sure what church life looks like with a decreasing presence of women,” said Russell Moore, Christianity Today’s editor-in-chief. “We need both spiritual mothers and spiritual fathers.”
Presbyterian Pastor Tod Bolsinger added that churches need to collectively right the ship – before it’s too late. “You have to have something to offer people,” said Pastor Bolsinger. “If we are losing the people who have historically been the most loyal, that’s a four-alarm fire.”
What is your reaction? Do you have a theory for why young men are feeling called to church services – and why young women are turning their backs?
18 comments
-
David Arthur Lewis
Gen Z is a lost generation. They have no roots, no real connection to family or community because they were raised by strangers instead of their mothers. Day-care, Pre-K, Kindergarten, school sports, all staffed by poorly-trained, poorly-paid strangers with no responsibility for the long-term results. Mom is just a means of transportation to and from activities coached by strangers. It is no wonder that many turn to religion, radicalism, and guns.
-
Nicholas J Page
Thank goodness I'm not Gen Z if women are leaving the church there must be a reason why.
-
Paula Copp
Has church become a magnet for Incels? Religion is under the control of the patriarchy and the men (and women) who are desperate to belong often crave the structure churches offer. Although I don’t subscribe to the necessity for such rigidity, I do understand that some people don’t function well when left to their own devices…
-
Rev. Dr. Father JJ
religiosity, like goD and patriotism have been co-opted by the regressive goppers. recent articles show that the regressive right has been successful at recruiting young males. on utoob there are channels run by young frat/brah types that are strongly regressive and strongly pro-trumpler.
if these recruiters, or groomers of young men are also part of some church complex then they are encouraging their new 'recruits' to join as well (note: members of the KKK were all good kkkrs chn church going people).
the modern uniform of the regressive right gopper (incel) isn't going to be 'brown shirts' but rather, khaki pants, collared shirt, cross-pins on the lapel, a bibble under their arms and an ar-15 slung over their shoulder.
[it's saturday morning so the release or censor of my post may wait til monday, or tuesday....]
-
-
Riley MacDougall
The only way to find the path of Jesus Christ and your mother Mary of God is to Be consecrated in Jesus Christ and holy mother Mary of God is the only way to be connected to Jesus
-
Riley MacDougall
I think people in the world that want to follow Jesus Christ and they compassion about Jesus Christ I think they should follow their heart and the heart will tell them if they are willing to follow our Lord Jesus Christ in the path of him but they have to decide on themselves and they have to pray and see if Jesus wants them to follow his path And And to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, don’t know the path to follow if they pray that Jesus Christ and ask ask him what should I do? Jesus Christ will give you an answer. Follow him if he wants you to follow him or if you’re connected to Jesus Christ he will let you know. Best way to answer. Is to be consecrated in in our Lord Jesus Christ that is the only way to find out
-
Keith D
First, what's happening in the 'spiritual' and 'spiritualist' categories? Eastern belief systems and magical systems from all over the world?
That helps us map the baseline. Christianity has a nasty tendency toward a sort of chauvinism that "religion = Christianity." To ignore the things that may attract women TO them is classic Western 'science' error: not understanding the baseline.
Make no mistake: I'm a late middle aged man, all man, Caucasian, long family roots in N America since the Mayflower. Some of my ancestors would certainly lynch me as 'a witch.' Well, I think they know better now, but that is a context.
You won't find me in a 'church' unless it's this one, which bears my beliefs no ill will, or one I'm attending on some kind of 'one time' invitation, or to catch a glimpse of its energy and level of grasp.
I'm an Esotericist, a Hermeticist and an occultist, interested in the level of Divinity consciousness of any system that gets to the mysticism. 'Occult' effectively means that if your mind is closed, it is closed to you.
The energies of Earth are changing and that includes a lot of its archetypal architecture--that includes humans. Men must still be men and women women, but consciousness must develop that we all have components of masculine and feminine, and sometimes, they are really counterintuitive. And humanity is going to see outlandish changes overall.
Young women (and older ones) are recognizing that 'female' and 'feminine' are not weak and servile, but partners in the power and magic of life. So they leave the paternalist Piscean Age churches that really didn't grasp the profound meaning of woman, even after Jesus rather shoved it at them.
Older ages were off balance, too, as they held women more sacrosanct than men. But Piscean paternalist notions of modern churches probably appeal to a cluster of men who recognize that the 'anti male' propaganda of our day is not right. But they don't know where to turn, and even when they do, unless it's a materialism palace, they are met with misguided animosity from women who haven't yet healed from a genetic memory of the last couple thousand years, and they think, 'Well, this isn't the place.' Spiritual and spiritualist gatherings tend to have a lot of this, along with simps and von artist virtue signaler screaming BS about 'toxic masculinity' because... not because toxic, but because male.
So much for the vaunted experts of this article. Bah.
All: go within. Find your inner sovereign. Get acquainted and rise into the outer with that sovereign, to rule you and none other, and to be ruled by none other. Respect for all as part and parcel of the Unity. As Rumi said:
You are not a drop in the ocean, but the entire ocean in a drop.
Be that. Men and women can do this. As individuals and in teams.
-
Daniel Gray
Because we are more family oriented then Gen Z women are. All I ask my female partner is to love me like I love her, to be a partner in my life and show me the same feelings as I show her. I will love and cherish her till the day we die. Just dont go woke on me cause I still want to open the car door for her, give her gifts and treat her like the lady she is.
So tell me, what is exactly wrong with this? And the women who throw a fit about this are the same women who are forcing men to go overseas to see partners.
-
Paula Copp
Daniel, Daniel, Daniel! What has attending church got to do with being family oriented? I think women want a partner, not a lord and master. The “woke” comment is just silly, unless you want a trad wife, in which case she deserves what she gets.
-
Daniel Gray
Sorry paula, if you would have attended a Church you would already know the answer to that question.
-
-
-
Melinda Fulk
Not all denominations treat women with disdain and disrespect, but all the ones we keep hearing about do. And why would a woman want to walk through the doors of somewhere telling here she isn't even a second class citizen?
-
Paula Copp
Brava!
-
-
Russel A. Kester
This article is a great example of the problem. Most of it focused on young women after a few paragraphs about young men. I hope more women leave the church so that more young men will feel comfortable within its walls. Historically, both Judaism and Islam separated the sexes. They had the right idea. We also need to separate the sexes in school. Women teachers are a terror for boys because they "just don't get it." Especially when the boys are younger. As for church, a strong Christianity that teaches boys to become strong, self-confident young men would be most glorious indeed. Boys and young men need single-sex spaces to be themselves; to become the men God intends them to be. Any reader of my comment should notice that I kept about boys/young men and their needs. If you respond about girls and their needs, then you are part of the problem.
-
Rev. Dr. Father JJ
yes, we are all aware of your thoughts about young boys and men. whether we all agree with them or not is the question
but anyway, welcome to what....the 1800's, 1600's? let me guess, are you of the mind that women contaminate or somehow are bad influences on men/boys? because your idea of separating them reeks of sexism and maybe a skosh of misogyny
and yes I am aware of studies about separating the sexes in school, and the reason appears to be because it's better for the girls, they don't have to deal with the rowdiness of boys but I have the feeling you thing it may be the opposite
but let's circle back to the part where you are all in favor of women leaving the church and letting the men have it. so not just in the classroom but in the church as well you want to keep girls away from boys, or boys away from girls, it' kinda the same but not.
but like you end your comment, I can see your point. clearly anyone that stands up for girls, women, are in your words "...the problem." Hmm, curious how you see these things. since historically it's been a (white kkkris chn) man's world, since forever, really, you seem upset about women getting equal advantage, would you suggest the schooling for girls ends at around 6th or 8th grade? I suspect that would please you.
so paint me "...part of the problem." I am proud to be so and will work diligently to see that women, all women, including my daughter are able to compete and succeed to the best of their abilities and desires despite people who think as you. I know more people will agree with me than with you, here and in the real (non-delusional) world
-
Russel A. Kester
Yup, JJ, I agree with your statement that you're part of the problem. You wrote six paragraphs all about girls and women. I do hope that someday you will be able to care about boys and young men as much as you do about girls and young ladies.
-
-
April B
Russell, I get what you are saying. I do agree men should be teaching men how to be men. However, historically, women were the strong ones in the church because women can handle multitasking. Plus, men were not good at taking care of their responsibilities, so everything fell on the shoulders of women. So why bother if you get no respect? Let men figure themselves out, by themselves.
-
-
Rev. BH
"Why Are Gen Z Men More Religious Than Women?" White, male Christian Nationalism. "Why Are Women Leaving?" Ditto.
Interesting article! Men of faith rising by leaps & bounds is significant & glorious all the same. Amen! Keep the faith growing. Next message, bring your wife or girlfriend to church. Women are juggling more busy lives work, raising a family, & getting the grocery shopping done. It might be easier for them to catch church service on media. who knows. Good Parenting of sons & God core is excellent in reaching out for faith & establishing what your parents taught you. Keep those priorities growing as family values. God first, family second, career third. blest be....Keep on praying all the time. miracles do happen.