Gender gap in religious service attendance differs between Christian and Muslim countries

Research published by the Pew Research Centre suggests women are more likely to attend religious services in Christian countries, but men are more likely to be present in Muslim and Jewish countries and communities.

“In the United States … women are more likely than men to say religion is “very important” in their lives (60% vs. 47%)”, says the survey. “American women also are more likely than American men to say they pray daily (64% vs. 47%) and attend religious services at least once a week (40% vs. 32%).”

While the research suggests that women are generally more religious than men, particularly among Christians, the opposite is true in Orthodox Jewish and Muslim areas. The report continues: “Worldwide, this results in a mixed attendance pattern. Out of 81 countries where Pew Research Center surveys have asked about worship service attendance, women report greater levels of weekly attendance in 30 countries, most of which have Christian majorities or large Christian populations. In 28 countries – mostly places with Muslim majorities or large Muslim populations – men report greater weekly attendance than women. In the remaining 23 countries, the difference between women and men in self-reported attendance is not statistically significant.”

Source: Pew Research Worldwide