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Religion and Social Groups - Coggle Diagram
Religion and Social Groups
Gender
Trends
Most churchgoers = female - Outnumber men by 1/2 a million
More women than men say have a religion
Recently --> decline in number of women participation in religious activities
More women than men = religion important to them
More women than men say they're 'spiritual'
Men = more likely to be atheists than women, men twice as likely to not believe in life after death
Studies/explanations
Bruce --> Experience of child rearing = less aggressive & goal-oriented
More cooperative & caring (Feeling instead of achieving)
Fits expressive emphasis of New Age
Brusco
- Pentecostalism = patriarchy however women ❤️ = positions
women, compensators + sects
Stark + Bainbridge
Religious market theory
religion = compensators for deprivation
organismic deprivation
physical + mental health problems
women more likely to seek healing from sects
ethical deprivation
world is MORALLY wrong
sects + women agree
1 more item...
social deprivation
women = more likely to b poor
sects take in the poor + oppressed
Bruce - twice as many women as men in sects
Class
Trends
Marxist - religion is more appealing to lower classes
Studies/explanations
Churches
= Appeal to all classes
Denominations
= Tend to not appeal to lower classes, appeal more to upper working and lower working class
Cults
= Appeal to the upper class who are successful - they have time and money to enhance their lives
Sects
= Recruit most disadvantaged, members = give up previous life. Wallis = "relatively deprived" among 1960s/1970s sects. E.g. Moonies.
Ethnicity
Trends
Biggest religious group: Christians (72%)
many are Black African / Caribbean origin
Many Muslims, Hindus & Sikhs
Originate from Indian sub-continent
Modood
: Big differences in importance attached to religion
11% white members of COE saw relig. as very important
71% Caribbean members of Protestant churches saw relig. as important
Minority ethnic groups (except Chinese) --> More likely to attend places of worship than whites
Brierley
: Studied people of London
Muslims, Hindus & Black Christians --> Attend weekly religious worship more than White Christians
Black people x2 likely to attend churches
Modood
All ethnic groups --> Decline in importance of relig. (esp second generation)
Studies/Explanations
John Bird
: 5 reasons why ethnic minority groups are more religious
Many originated in societies w/high levels of religiosity (e.g. Pakistan & Caribbean)
Belonging to minority --> Relig. provided sense of community & solidarity = Give point of contact + sense of identity (introduce potential marriage partners)
They see relig. as way of maintaining cultural identity (traditions)
Socialisation --> Strong pressure on children to maintain commitment
Way to cope w/oppression
Bruce
: Religiosity is more an expression, ≠ commitment
Relig. is Cultural Defence + Cultural Transition
Over time --> Sec. nature of UK = Erode importance of relig for ethnic minorities
Modood
supports this
Found that young Chinese + White + Afro Caribbean = Less religious than parents
Found that in some groups --> No decline between generations (Muslims)
Age
Trends
general trend - older a person = more likely to attend religious services
exception - u15s are more likely than any other age group
have less choice and are made to go by their parents
apart from those aged >65 - there is an ongoing fall in church attendance and this is sharpest among the young
Studies/Explanations
Voas + Crockett
ageing effect
people turn to religion as thye get older
period/cohort effect
ppl born in a particular period = more/less religious
secularisation
declining importance = next
generation becomes less religious
Arweck + Beckford
virtual collapse of religious socialisation
decline in Sunday school attendance:
used to enrol
a 1/3 of all 14-yr-olds