You can tell a lot about a building by watching its foundation. Cracks in the paint may be cosmetic. A broken window may be repaired. But when the foundation begins to shift, everything above it is affected.
For generations, women have been a foundational force in religious life. As increasing numbers step away from organized religion, the question is no longer whether change is occurring—but what is causing it. You won’t want to miss Alexis Tarkalson’s eye opening commentary – and consider what you think to be the cause of the female religious exodus.
For religion and families,
Wendy Wixom, President
United Families International
What Happens when Women Leave Their Faith Behind?
Alexis Tarkalson
With women seeking greater achievement and influence in nearly every aspect of public life, it would seem natural for them to remain firmly rooted in an arena where they have traditionally been more present than men: religion.
The religious landscape is changing and evolving in a way not seen since we began surveying religious activity. In the last couple years, what we knew to be true about women in religion is no longer the case. Countries throughout the world are seeing the same thing, from New Zealand to the United States. When and why? And what does this mean for the family unit?
The History of Women in Religion
For hundreds of years, women have been more active in church affairs. As of the year 2000, women around the world outpaced men in their respective religions. For example, in 2001 England church goers were 65% female, and Scotland saw 67% female attendance. If we took it back a few more years, we would see in 1990 in Taiwan, women were reporting higher satisfaction and comfort levels in religion (77% vs. 59%). In 1980’s New Zealand, the Presbyterian church was seeing 70% of their congregation made up of women.
In past years, when Baby Boomers were rapidly leaving religion, those numbers were largely made up of men (57% were men while only 43% were women). Some years before this, if you were a woman born before 1912 in Australia then you were significantly more likely to claim a religion as opposed to men. If you really want to take it back, you can go to 1660 in the U.S. where it was reported, “women comprised the majority of communicants in every New England church whose membership records have been preserved.” In 1757, nearly a century later, the same thing still held true with twice as many women on membership rolls as there were men. From the 1890’s to the 1920’s church membership in the U.S. was still at a skewed ratio of 60:40.
George Gallup, inventor of the Gallup Poll and pioneer for surveying techniques, said,
“A mountain of Gallup survey data attests to the idea that women are more religious than men, hold their beliefs more firmly, practice their faith more consistently, and work more vigorously for the congregation. In fact, gender-based differences in responses to religious questions are far more pronounced than those between any other demographic categories, such as age, education level, or geographic region. The tendency toward higher religiosity among women has manifested over seven decades of scientific polling, and church membership figures indicate that it probably existed for many decades prior to the advent of survey research in the mid-1930s.”
Clive Field, a historian of religion in Britain, said: “men gravitate towards the least demanding of the various levels of religious allegiance and commitment, with women seeking the maximum degree of involvement.” What has changed? Especially in such a short period of time.
Why Are Women Leaving?
Every religious denomination is searching for reasons why women are abandoning their faith. The mystery remains, for the most part, unsolved.
In general, for both men and women, religiosity has seen a significant decline compared to years past. But it wasn’t until 2022 that such a decline was markedly seen in female populations in comparison to men’s. At the time, men were attending at a rate of 35% whereas women were five percentage points lower at 30%. The gap has grown to 43% vs. 36% in 2025. It is not just all and any women leaving religion, but specifically Gen Z women. Only 14% of Baby Boomers are religiously unaffiliated compared to 39% of Gen Z women. This is important to note as these young women are overwhelmingly progressive in their viewpoints, making themselves the largest liberal group in the U.S..
So while men, and young men in particular, are turning back to religion, women are rapidly leaving, and it’s important we ask ourselves why. There are more than a few theories on this front, but the most common points to the “liberal woman”.
Liberal women ares said to be disenfranchised with religions that are largely pro-life, anti-LGBT, or do not appear to treat men and women equally. This seems likely, as Gen Z women are 76% in favor of legal abortion, 70% in favor of gender-affirming care, and 53% identify as a feminist. As one article wrote, “Why have women stopped going to church? It isn’t because they’re too busy or too well educated. Maybe they stopped going when conservative politics took over the pulpit.”
This is humorous as it seems to suggest it is religion that is changing and moving away from women. The reality is that the majority of religions have always been pro-life, always in favor of man-woman marriages, and have always had men in positions of authority within their hierarchical structures. What has changed are women’s expectations of religion and a desire for religion to cater to – and affirm – their distinct belief systems, even as these women have strayed from orthodox values. Some churches have attempted to water down their doctrine in order to retain congregants, but all that has resulted is the “disappearance” of their church.
How Does This Affect the Family?
So in the end what does this mean for the most important unit in society? It is well documented that religion positively influences the family and the individual. Mothers are time and time again credited with leading the household in religious upbringing, but what if your mother is suddenly no longer involved in religion? Then that woman and her family will miss out on the benefits of religion.
Research has consistently found that religious involvement is associated with lower levels of stress and depression, greater psychological well-being, and lower rates of substance abuse (Koenig 2001; Smith, McCullough & Poll 2003). Studies also show that shared religious belief and practice are linked to higher marital satisfaction, more positive parenting, and stronger family functioning (Mahoney et al. 2001; Wilcox 2004). Religiously involved couples tend to desire and have more children (Hayford & Morgan 2008), and religious fathers are more engaged in childcare and family life (Wilcox 2004; King 2003). In addition, higher levels of shared religious participation are associated with lower rates of infidelity and divorce (Atkins 2008; Vaaler, Ellison & Powers 2009).
Our families are seeing what should have been their religious foundation stripped away from them, as women engage in a mass exodus from religion. Additionally, women are reported to be more actively involved in volunteering their time and efforts towards serving their church, and when a church loses this help, communities suffer. As families and communities suffer, society suffers.
As advocates for the family, we must encourage religious participation, defend faith, and challenge efforts to diminish its influence. United Families International works to advance policies that strengthen the role of religion in family life and protect parents’ rights to raise their children according to their beliefs. Families need women’s enduring commitment to faith, because when faith is lost in the home, society soon feels the loss. The future of a nation is shaped not first in its institutions, but in its homes.
Alexis Tarkalson graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho with her degree in Political Science and an emphasis in American Government. She loves spending time with her husband and two children, reading, hiking mountains, and learning new hobbies. The family unit is immensely important to her, as is protecting the associated rights, which is why she volunteers her time towards United Families International.