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Atheism and gender

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
I also wonder about the nones, as this dkes technically includ3 quite a large group that are very different, especially those who don't believe in any particular god or religion, or those who consider themselves spiritual. These are included with atheists and agnostics. With agnostics being another one that doesn't fit cleanly with a or t the way some people who use it describe their views and beliefs. And going on the autism thing, I've read of at least a few who are considered nones but describe their views in a more complex way. If I recall correctly, the lady who developed the cow hugging machine is one such example.
And then you get "atheism proper," and all those divisions.
So I think we do need to address these to get a clearer picture.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
I love science. I am a staunch theist who believes in Evolution. It is just that males tend to be more rational than us, I guess.
Not at all. If you look at it, care taker roles in healthcare tend to be heavily dominated by women. Case managers, nurses, home health care, assisted living, those positions are probably over 90% women. Even many doctors are women.
Researching what they use, however, the tools of their trade, that tends to be more isolating and not as people amd relationship focused.
 

PureX

Veteran Member
I suspect it has to do with self-reliance. Man have more control over their own lives and circumstances than women do because they have more power in our culture. Thus, they are less likely to feel the need for metaphysical help or support. Which is what theism is mostly about.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
Atheism is not more rational, and that can be shown. Also, atheism is not "scientific". It's a bias that's often based on the misrepresentation of science ("scientism").
Yes. I think it's more just a matter of scientists having to ask questions, scanning over data, finding doubts and oddities, and think logically. I think it's more just a matter of who it attracts.
 

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
I'm glad you said that, very brave. I wouldn't dare, but I guess I'm just a typical Pisces. :)
As a Libra I couldn't possibly say why females are more inclined towards religion, and it may not be that big a difference, but perhaps there is something in their nature - as being more empathetic, more inclined towards relationships (and support), and perhaps seeking more security - but all such is mere supposition. :oops:
 

Estro Felino

Believer in free will
Premium Member
Atheism is not more rational, and that can be shown. Also, atheism is not "scientific". It's a bias that's often based on the misrepresentation of science ("scientism").
In fact mine was a generalization.
I have met an equal number of male atheists and female atheists IRL, so the nexus between gender and atheism can be random, I guess.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
I'd like to get some theories why Atheism attracts more men than women.

Faith in numbers: Behind the gender difference of nonreligious Americans
Scholars have long noted that atheism skews male. Meanwhile, critics have pointed toward the apparent dominance of male authors in the “new atheism” movement as evidence of a “boys club.” Indeed, a quick scan of the best-selling books on atheism on Amazon indicates that almost all of them are written by male authors.

I guess that the way women are often treated, down trodden, even abused. particularly in marrage religion gives them an escape and something to hope for.
 

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
In fact mine was a generalization.
I have met an equal number of male atheists and female atheists IRL, so the nexus between gender and atheism can be random, I guess.

I've met plenty of both genders, but I would say (anecdotally) it's clearly more often men who are interested in talking about it.

I know that's not universally true, just speaking about my personal experiences (IRL).
 

epronovost

Well-Known Member
I'd like to get some theories why Atheism attracts more men than women.

Faith in numbers: Behind the gender difference of nonreligious Americans
Scholars have long noted that atheism skews male. Meanwhile, critics have pointed toward the apparent dominance of male authors in the “new atheism” movement as evidence of a “boys club.” Indeed, a quick scan of the best-selling books on atheism on Amazon indicates that almost all of them are written by male authors.

It is, in my opinion, a simple statistical artefact. Women had a tendency to be more involved in Churches community service which can leads to a lower deconversion rate or shift from established churches. As you can see from the graph, male dominance amongst atheists seems to be a generational thing. Very old and very young atheists/nones are pretty much in the same numbers.
 

Regiomontanus

Ματαιοδοξία ματαιοδοξιών! Όλα είναι ματαιοδοξία.
I'd like to get some theories why Atheism attracts more men than women.

Faith in numbers: Behind the gender difference of nonreligious Americans
Scholars have long noted that atheism skews male. Meanwhile, critics have pointed toward the apparent dominance of male authors in the “new atheism” movement as evidence of a “boys club.” Indeed, a quick scan of the best-selling books on atheism on Amazon indicates that almost all of them are written by male authors.

Men are more prone to irrational thought, IMHO. Maybe it's the testosterone? :)
 

TagliatelliMonster

Veteran Member
I'd like to get some theories why Atheism attracts more men than women.

Faith in numbers: Behind the gender difference of nonreligious Americans
Scholars have long noted that atheism skews male. Meanwhile, critics have pointed toward the apparent dominance of male authors in the “new atheism” movement as evidence of a “boys club.” Indeed, a quick scan of the best-selling books on atheism on Amazon indicates that almost all of them are written by male authors.

I think this comparison here is quite interesting:

upload_2021-2-19_13-35-58.png
upload_2021-2-19_13-36-43.png


Left is from your source, right is the same countries ordered by religiosity. There seems to be a correlation here.

The higher the religiosity, the bigger the share of males in non-affiliation.

I wonder if that says something about males more easily going against societal consensus / tradition / popular opinion. More prone to speak up when in doubt, or more prone to challenge popular opinion in general.


The idea of most authors being male would fit that explanation as well.
 

TagliatelliMonster

Veteran Member
I suspect it has to do with self-reliance. Man have more control over their own lives and circumstances than women do because they have more power in our culture. Thus, they are less likely to feel the need for metaphysical help or support. Which is what theism is mostly about.

How do you marry that idea with the fact that power in religion has almost always been in the hands of men? Certainly in the traditional theistic religions.

It's men that kept these religions alive. It's men that enforced religious rules and doctrines. And when it were women, they were doing it on the orders of men.

I think it's more of an "alpha" situation, where men will more easily stand up and publicly challenge popular consensus if and when they disagree or have doubts.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
But that's simply due to the dominance of Christianity in the US. On the other hand, we have pretty much equal men and women (or slightly more women). How then do we explain that more men are atheists?
It's not that more men are atheists; it's that more men are out as atheists.

Unfortunately, our society still penalizes women for speaking out and going against the grain. Being an outspoken atheist - especially to the degree of writing books about your atheism - very much means going against the grain of the religious majority around you.

And atheism carries a stigma. If you're an out atheist, you're going to be seen by a lot of religious people as a bad person, untrustworthy, unfit to be a parent, etc., etc. In our society, it tends to be easier for men to just disregard these sorts of negative attitudes than it is for women.

... and add to that the special discrimination that gets levelled at atheist women in particular. I'm sure that no woman would want to deal with the religious misogyny that Madalyn Murray O'Hair went through. People may be starting to forget about her now, but she would have been a major influence on the older atheists who tend to be the ones who publish best-selling books.

So it doesn't surprise me at all when a woman who may not believe in any gods decides to stay closeted and keep going to church with her family, or when she does step away, she just deflects questions about her faith instead of saying "I'm an atheist."
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
Atheism is not more rational, and that can be shown. Also, atheism is not "scientific". It's a bias that's often based on the misrepresentation of science ("scientism").
It's not that atheism is especially scientific; it's that theistic religion often involves accepting ideas that go against a scientific understanding.

But none of this relates to gender.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
Atheism is not more rational, and that can be shown. Also, atheism is not "scientific". It's a bias that's often based on the misrepresentation of science ("scientism").


Atheism has nothing to do with science other than a choice made of evidence.
 

HonestJoe

Well-Known Member
I'd like to get some theories why Atheism attracts more men than women.
I don't think the trends the article is referring to are really about attraction to atheism. The so called "new atheism movement" you refer to is a tiny, tiny proportion of all the people who fall in to the general non-religious grouping this is actually about so I think that is pretty much irrelevant.

In the traditionally Christian western world at least, it seems to be mostly about people drifting away from formal religion. I suspect most of those people (indeed, people in general) don't really think too deeply about gods and belief, certainly not to the point of any definitive conclusion. That'd be how the drifting back in to some religious practice at different points in life is so easy. It doesn't actually reflect any fundamental shift in personal belief or world-view, just the practical, social and cultural aspects of religious practice.
 

A Vestigial Mote

Well-Known Member
You're going to have to give a reason why atheists would be less emotional. I don't see the connection.
Theists tend to have emotional connection to the articles of their faith, do they not? As an atheist, the only thing I know that brings out emotions in me relating to my atheism is in the exasperation of hearing claims without good evidence being poured out like water. And those emotions are most always of the "disappointment", "irritation" and "vicarious-embarrassment" variety. I have been told very often, and have witnessed that there is a much greater range of emotion that theists attach to their ideas.

In summation, I don't believe the comment was made to imply that atheists are "less emotional" on the whole - but that in this space (atheism or theism specifically) there is less emotion brought into the discussion from atheists than from theists toward the subject.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
I'd like to get some theories why Atheism attracts more men than women.

Faith in numbers: Behind the gender difference of nonreligious Americans
Scholars have long noted that atheism skews male. Meanwhile, critics have pointed toward the apparent dominance of male authors in the “new atheism” movement as evidence of a “boys club.” Indeed, a quick scan of the best-selling books on atheism on Amazon indicates that almost all of them are written by male authors.
I've long noticed that males are more likely to be atheists.
My theory is that women tend to be more about feelings,
& are more inclined to emotional connection with others.
Religious figures like God, Jesus, & Cthulhu offer something
to them.

A "boys club"? I've never seen that we atheists ever get
together, rallying around atheism. The atheists I know
were either born that way, or had an epiphany in reaction
to a religion that made no sense to them. Not one became
atheistic as a result of reading anything by atheist writers.

I was born not believing. Upon discovering Christianity in
my neighborhood, I found it ridiculous. My parents never
taught me anything about any religion whatsoever. It just
never came up. So nah....no male influence... no patriarchy
imposing atheism upon me. No boys club to join.
 
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