Gender and Atheism

[Kungfuzed]

Hi everyone. I have a curious question. Maybe this has already been covered. I really haven't known many atheists in my life, or if I did I didn't know they were athiests. Are most atheists typically male? Any studies been done on it? I just wonder if men are more likely to completely reject the existance of God because of logic and women more likely to hold on to their faith out of emotion. I don't mean to stereotype but it would be interesting to find out if it's true.

 

[Ðanisty]

I don't know if there's ever been a study like this, but of the atheists I've known, it seems to be pretty even.

 

[Smoke]

In general, better-educated people are more likely to be atheists than less educated people, and women have generally not been as well-educated as men -- at least not until recently, and even now only in some parts of the world.

Even if we accepted the proposition that women are more likely to make emotional decisions about religion, I can think of as many emotional reasons for rejecting religion as for accepting it.

 

[Doc]

The first atheist I ever met was a girl back in junior high. She was so funny how she asked and answered questions in religion class. And I know another girl that is an atheist too in my highschool (Catholic). So I would have to say I know more girls that are atheists than boys.

I somehow suspect that there are more male atheists than female however.

 

[Sunstone]

Although I can't recall any studies that specifically addressed the question of gender balance among atheists, I am aware of several studies that have shown women are more likely to identify themselves as religious than men, so I think that would imply that more men than women are atheists.

 

[MaddLlama]

I would think that more men than women would be atheist. Women I think are less likely to self-identify as athiest than they are a person who doesn't care about religion.

 

[BucephalusBB]

I know a lot of atheists and I'd say it's about equal.
I do think that from the atheists I know, men like to discuss the subject more..

 

[Booko]

Hi everyone. I have a curious question. Maybe this has already been covered. I really haven't known many atheists in my life, or if I did I didn't know they were athiests. Are most atheists typically male? Any studies been done on it? I just wonder if men are more likely to completely reject the existance of God because of logic and women more likely to hold on to their faith out of emotion. I don't mean to stereotype but it would be interesting to find out if it's true.

I've no idea, but have always wondered about that myself.

If if had to put out a description of "average atheist" based on my experience, it would probably be 20-30 yr old white male with fondness for science and mathematics.

When I was an atheist I fit that bill, except for the part about being male.

But I've met atheists who are older, middle-aged, not white, and definitely female, so I wouldn't put too much stock in the stereotype.

 

[waR toRn Rebel]

hmmm, that seems like a survey that would be very hard to conduct. Considering that religion is usually regional and displaced.

I've heard diffrent opinion on this topic though.

ranging from logical ones, "I think women are more likely to want an emotional support and in religion they find that support.", to bad ones, "whats an atheist?".

Anywho i think that it is probably going to be the same considering the first thing you need to do id question and neither sex is know to be better than the other one in that.

 

[robtex]

If if had to put out a description of "average atheist" based on my experience, it would probably be 20-30 yr old white male with fondness for science and mathematics.

The age part doesn't make sense because if they were atheists at ages 20-30 for the reasons speculated there is a high liklyhood they would die atheists.

I think that the answer is going to be hard to come by. In the USA at least since being an atheist is such a negative sterotype. From the atheists I have met online and in the atheist community of Austin, an overwhelming number of them have been white with only three blacks and a few hispanics. I think alot of orientals are atheistically inclinded in that they don't believe in a God but follow a philosophy like taoism, buddhism and don't see themselves as atheist by association.

It is hard to aquire data that doesn't seem to have an agenda attacthed to it. I couldn't find any with a breakdown by gender or ethnicity.

In the attachements online and in the ACA I have noticed a bit more men than woman atheists but more like a 2:3 ratio. Most of them tend to know more about science and math than the average american and almost all of them have higher than a high school education though I personally don't think that is as important than to say that all of them with very few exceptions were very well read reading non-fiction books and religious books on a weekly basis.

I tend to think the education question can be jaded. I met alot dumb people in college and lot of smart people with a high school eduation. However, I rarely if ever, read a smart person who does not read or a dumb person who reads reguarly. that seems to be a better instrument to measure intellectual apptitude with than formal schooling.

 

[standing_on_one_foot]

I tend to think the education question can be jaded. I met alot dumb people in college and lot of smart people with a high school eduation. However, I rarely if ever, read a smart person who does not read or a dumb person who reads reguarly. that seems to be a better instrument to measure intellectual apptitude with than formal schooling.

If you look at all the statistics in the country, though, plenty of things do vary significantly with level of education. It's entirely possible that religion does as well. Although whether this has to do with intelligence or not is, as you point out, an entirely different question.

 

[lamplighter]

I find it to be a very mixed bag and it seems to be based on region as well. Because I for one seem to know way more atheists than theists in Florida. Where as in Mississippi they're few and far between. Though I would say in my experiance that atheists are far more understanding (unless you're trying to shove a bible down there throat).

 

[SoulSearcher]

Female athiest here!

 

[Booko]

The age part doesn't make sense because if they were atheists at ages 20-30 for the reasons speculated there is a high liklyhood they would die atheists.

Why would you think so, Rob? I'm not an atheist any more. Several of my atheist friends are not either.

For the men, a funny thing sometimes happens when they get married and the kids get to be preschoolers. Which maybe is why I don't meet as many older atheists. (I don't think it has anything to do with getting older, anyway.)

I think that the answer is going to be hard to come by. In the USA at least since being an atheist is such a negative sterotype.

Here's a Wiki article that outlines some of the difficulties in coming by reliable numbers:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism

From the atheists I have met online and in the atheist community of Austin, an overwhelming number of them have been white with only three blacks and a few hispanics. I think alot of orientals are atheistically inclinded in that they don't believe in a God but follow a philosophy like taoism, buddhism and don't see themselves as atheist by association.

I don't think of Buddhists "atheists" as quite the same thing as our European-culture version. To Buddhists, it's more like "we don't believe in anthropomorphism and your God-concept is irrelevant" not "there is nothing supernatural of any sort."

It is hard to aquire data that doesn't seem to have an agenda attacthed to it. I couldn't find any with a breakdown by gender or ethnicity.

Nor can I.

In the attachements online and in the ACA I have noticed a bit more men than woman atheists but more like a 2:3 ratio. Most of them tend to know more about science and math than the average american and almost all of them have higher than a high school education though I personally don't think that is as important than to say that all of them with very few exceptions were very well read reading non-fiction books and religious books on a weekly basis.

Also, there is a tendency to confuse atheists with the irreligious. I was an atheist -- not irrelegious. Big difference.

I tend to think the education question can be jaded. I met alot dumb people in college and lot of smart people with a high school eduation. However, I rarely if ever, read a smart person who does not read or a dumb person who reads reguarly. that seems to be a better instrument to measure intellectual apptitude with than formal schooling.

My mother has always read, but if you met her, you would think she was perhaps...average, and possibly a tad below that.

I think what a person chooses to read says quite a bit as well. The atheists I've known (and the one I was) tended to go for non-fiction, and as I mentioned, were not intimidated by scientific subjects.

Those I've know who go in for, say, biographies, seem to be less likely to be atheist.

Unfortunately, this is all nothing but anecdotal evidence.

I do find it interesting that you are aware of so many women atheists, though. 30 years ago, a female atheist was not unheard of (my best friend was), but it was really quite unusual. I used to get stares of disbelief from male atheists when they figured out I was also an atheist.

Perhaps things have changed in a generation. Well, why not? Lots of other things have changed.

 

[Booko]

Oh...here are some figures, but the ultimate source is not mentioned, unfortunately, so who knows how accurate this is:

(All statistics are approximate) 7% of the population are atheists
64% are men, 36% are women
34% are college graduates, as compared to 22% of the popularion
30% are liberal, as opposed to 15% of Americans
21% conservative, compared to 31% of the population
71% are white, 11% are hispanic, and 7% are black
29% live in the northeast, 27% in the west, 23% in the central US, and 19% in the south

http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=163469

 

[Nanda]

Female athiest here!

Ditto! I know just as many female atheists as male... And actually, we're all more outspoken than our male friends...

 

[JumboShrimp]

Ive only met a few, and they were all male

But then again, i went to an all boys school

 

[SoulSearcher]

Ditto! I know just as many female atheists as male... And actually, we're all more outspoken than our male friends...

Really? I don't know very many female athiests, I feel like such an outcast...most of the ones I know are male.

 

[Nanda]

Really? I don't know very many female athiests, I feel like such an outcast...most of the ones I know are male.

Most of my friends became atheists eventually. We kind of made the journey together.

 

[Aletheia Athanatos]

Are most atheists typically male?

Hard to distinguish between how many people are atheist, and how many are open and out about it (and participate in communities).

There's a systematic reason why women are less likely than average to participate:

New Atheism’s Gender Problems, PopMatters