I'm probably going to catch heat for stereotyping, but I've always heard it said that women tend to be more religious than men.
Speculating as to why might bring about reactions, so I will leave it at that.
by snugglebunny 39 Replies latest jw friends
I'm probably going to catch heat for stereotyping, but I've always heard it said that women tend to be more religious than men.
Speculating as to why might bring about reactions, so I will leave it at that.
This phenomenon has been long noted since there are many more "sisters" than "bros". The cited reasons now sound a bit sexist. "Women are more trusting & open to new ideas" etc. Certainly there were a lot more unbelieving husbands than wives, back in the day.
I think the comment about sociability may be true . Men are less likely to hang out together , men's social habits..drinking beer & sports are not encouraged. I certainly never made any friends - the r& f viewed me as different because I was an elder and I never liked the elders enough to socialise with them
It's socialization. If Abraham were a woman she would have stayed in her father Terah's tents and dressed the idols up, instead of mocking and then smashing them and then running away. The woman who takes a stand is scapegoated when a man would get lionized for doing the same thing.
I was going to link the same book TD posted, co-auothored by Steve Bruce, world expert on secularisation. They present various social factors that account for the fact that women are significantly more religious than men. That being the case it's no surprise women tend to join JWs more often and are more reluctant to leave. Even among religions, which are generally weighted toward women, women are particularly over-represented among JWs.
My two cents. As a general rule women are more sensitive than men and usually feel emotions stronger. This can be a great thing or a bad thing depending on circumstances. I think 90% of the pull in the JWs is emotional. Also the FOG manipulation techniques (fear, obligation, guilt) play on these emotions. I think men generally resist authority more readily also.
In my wife, as I have mentioned on here before, I see the organization being used as a father figure in her life.
If interested I started a thread on it back several months ago:
Ditto for xjwsrock.
It's known, according to studies, that women make up the majority of worshippers at all churches. Why exactly is not known but it most probably has to do with their psychological nature.
I'm probably going to catch heat for stereotyping, but I've always heard it said that women tend to be more religious than men.
It's well established from all sorts of surveys and census data that women outnumber men in most religious organizations but men outnumber women in leadership positions in those religious organizations (it helps that men feel justified in taking the lead by appealing to ancient Scriptural texts proclaiming male privilege).
Of course, why women remain involves all sorts of reasons from family-friendship networks to social conditioning. Until very recently, women have been more easily manipulated than men by FOG (Fear, Obligation and Guilt) to remain subservient to patriarchal rulership.
It is fantastic, though, to see that as equal rights legislation gains a foothold in western demoncratic nations, women are les inclined to allow themselves to be kept in line by the threat of male-driven social disapproval.
I know myself just in my own family that I think it is the women that are more attached as it is more of a social event for them than for the men. Myself I am just as happy sitting at home and watching a football game than sitting through a boring meetings just to full fill a social need.
My husband accepted everything, until everything started pushing and pulling. "Don't miss meetings for any reason!"
"Well, sometimes you have to go to work and miss a meeting." - This was from an elder who contracted floor maintenance, and my husband worked for him.
Inconsistencies piled high as time went on. He couldn't stand it. He could not endure sitting around in meetings and then having to work all night, when he could have been working and getting home earlier.
All kinds of crap like that. Trivialities viewed as important. Lots of time wasting.