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I am not convinced by the premise of the question, that there actually is a disproportionate ratio of atheists that are male over female. I think males are merely more vocal about it.
It would, for example, be the same as saying Men have more political views than women, and to support this contention you simply point out how there are many times more male politicians than female.
For many reasons males are just more vocal on political issues and in political roles. Reasons not worth going into here. I rather expect it is the same with atheism.
I am not convinced by the premise of the question, that there actually is a disproportionate ratio of atheists that are male over female. I think males are merely more vocal about it.
It would, for example, be the same as saying Men have more political views than women, and to support this contention you simply point out how there are many times more male politicians than female.
For many reasons males are just more vocal on political issues and in political roles. Reasons not worth going into here. I rather expect it is the same with atheism.
I agree there can be a lot of truth to that and yes it took a while to come out when I was a teen. Though, one thing I've seen and noticed a lot on this site as well as others and also IRL pertaining to religon or lack of it is this: the combination of the female believer with the male atheist or agnostic seems to be a lot more common (my father is agnostic and mother is Catholic) than the one with my now ex bf, where it was him that was Christian. I had no issues with his beliefs and the fact that sometimes he reads ome parts of the bible but initially he couldn't really understand why I chose not to believe in god and gave me a lecture on it just to listen. He kept saying it was not to convert me but it was annoying.
I agree there can be a lot of truth to that and yes it took a while to come out when I was a teen. Though, one thing I've seen and noticed a lot on this site as well as others and also IRL pertaining to religon or lack of it is this: the combination of the female believer with the male atheist or agnostic seems to be a lot more common (my father is agnostic and mother is Catholic) than the one with my now ex bf, where it was him that was Christian. I had no issues with his beliefs and the fact that sometimes he reads ome parts of the bible but initially he couldn't really understand why I chose not to believe in god and gave me a lecture on it just to listen. He kept saying it was not to convert me but it was annoying.
I am not convinced by the premise of the question, that there actually is a disproportionate ratio of atheists that are male over female. I think males are merely more vocal about it.
It would, for example, be the same as saying Men have more political views than women, and to support this contention you simply point out how there are many times more male politicians than female.
I think they're different issues, but for you seen to deny the evidence that women tend to be more religious than men. I'm not sure why, but denial of evidence is seems to be more characteristic of ideologues (including religious indeologues).
If you look at the evidence it does strong indicate that in the U.S. women are more religious than men.
I think they're different issues, but for you seen to deny the evidence that women tend to be more religious than men.
I can not deny evidence I have not been shown. The OP has described an _impression_ that it is so. Personal impression bourne solely of anecdotal experience is not evidence, let alone evidence I am "denying". I have to be actually given evidence before I can accept or deny it.
And the fact remains that while women are no less politically opinionated than men, there is a disproportionate representation of politicians and political speakers that are in fact male. Any impression people get that women are disproportionately more religious than men could very well be rooted in a similar effect.
And the fact remains that while women are no less politically opinionated than men, there is a disproportionate representation of politicians and political speakers that are in fact male. Any impression people get that women are disproportionately more religious than men could very well be rooted in a similar effect.
I agree. Women simply don't self-identify as atheists as readily. I can assure you that by any meaningful definition of the word, my wife is a lifelong atheist, but she has never thought of herself in those terms and while she will admit that she doesn't for one moment believe in any deity, if she would accept any label it would be agnostic, because to her, atheist means "argumentatively close-minded". She wants to see herself as open. She wouldn't mind it if there were a god, she just has never seen any evidence for one.
I can say that I wouldn't mind it either and I am open to evidence of deities. But I am skeptical that I'll ever see it, too. Somehow, while we both share the same exact beliefs (the only difference being that I'm a deconvert and she is not) we are comfortable with different labels and identifications.
Many have suggested that this aversion to the label "atheist" may be because women are more social overall than men, or perhaps less simplistically, have different social needs and are, ahem, socialized to behave differently. My wife, even more than most women, is a "connector" who brings people together and forges and maintains relationships between herself and others, and between other people. When that's a big part of your identity you want to avoid or tap dance around anything divisive.
Women inhabit the middle. Men inhabit the bottom and the top. A smaller percentage of women are mentally defective, but a smaller percentage are also true geniuses. This probably explains why there are fewer female atheists.
I think it is about several things. To take one huge example, theism tends to be about asking for help from powers greater than yourself. Women appear to need special training to see themselves as powerful -- at least when you take them as a group -- there are always exceptions -- and they appear more open to the idea of an invisible power that will take care of them than men, who are very geared as a group to think of themselves as standing alone.
Think how church membership skyrockets whenever the economy crashes. You lose your sense of power over your life, and you hit the pews.
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