Center for Gender Equality The Impact of Religious Organizations on Gender Equality A report of findings from a national survey conducted for The Center for Gender Equality by Princeton Survey Research Associates. News Release Wednesday, January 27, 1999 Contact Mark Aurigemma / Sue Simon The Daystar Group 212-244-8555 AS RELIGIONS INCREASE POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT, NEW NATIONAL SURVEY FINDS WOMEN ARE BECOMING BOTH MORE RELIGIOUS AND MORE CONSERVATIVE Study by Center for Gender Equality Finds Women Increasingly Accepting of Religious Involvement in Political Debate; Still, Some Personal Choices Remain Uninfluenced by Religious Teaching As conservative religious organizations step up their involvement in political debates, a new national survey finds that women, while strongly committed to the principles of gender equality, are becoming increasingly religious and increasingly conservative on a number of social issues. The survey of 1,000 women was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates on behalf of the Center for Gender Equality, a research, education and advocacy organization dedicated to promoting women's equality. The survey finds a high level of acceptance among women of religious involvement in national policy debates, and documents conservative attitudes among women on issues such as the appropriate roles of men and women at work and home, affirmative action, birth control, and abortion. Women in the survey report that their religious involvement provides them with ethical standards, help with personal problems, and the feeling of being part of a supportive community. However, the same survey also illustrates that many women maintain a "shopping cart" approach to religion, accepting many of their denomination's teachings, but discarding others that do not fit with their personal needs and experiences. For example, the survey clearly indicates that majorities of women make their own choices on personal issues including marriage, birth control and whether or when to have children, even if their decisions are in conflict with the teachings of their denominations. Women in the survey voiced overwhelming support for equality between men and women, and sixty-eight percent of women surveyed said they believe more effort needs to be made to improve the status of women, highlighting the significance of the work of the Center for Gender Equality. Commenting on the survey results, Faye Wattleton, a long-time advocate for women's rights and president of the Center for Gender Equality said, "Much of what we see in this survey is disturbing. While support for gender equality remains strong, and while women say they receive many benefits from their religious involvement, it is also clear that women are becoming more conservative on a number of social issues as they become more involved with religion, and as conservative religious political activism increases." "The divide between religion and politics is drifting, if not crumbling," Ms. Wattleton continued, "and the rights of women and the cause of gender equality is seriously affected by this shift in the political landscape. In recent years, many high-profile public figures and commentators, including representatives of conservative religions, have campaigned to reverse the social advances made by women. In some cases, hard won gains in areas such as support for affirmative action programs and equal opportunity outside the home have been eroded." The telephone survey of 1,000 women across the U.S. was undertaken with the generous support of the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation and the Huber Foundation, and was designed with the guidance of an advisory group of national religious leaders, including John Buchanan, Pastor of Chicago's Fourth Presbyterian Church, Joan Brown Campbell, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, Forrest Church, Senior Minister of New York's Unitarian Church of All Souls, and Barbara Wheeler, President of Auburn Theological Seminary. The survey, the first in a series of studies to be commissioned by the Center for Gender Equality, will form part of the Center's new National Data Center on Women that will collect and disseminate information on the attitudes and opinions of women on a range of important issues. Among the key findings of the national survey are: Women Strongly Support Gender Equality Despite increasing conservatism on a number of issues, women are overwhelmingly supportive of equality between men and women, and most women believe that more needs to be done to promote equality: Almost all women think men and women should be treated the same with respect to employment (94%), access to bank loans and credit (98%), opportunities for promotion and pay raises (98%), and education (99%). Support for gender equality remains high even for women's involvement in sports (76%), and military service (64%). Women are Becoming More Religious Seventy-five percent of U.S. women now say religion is very important in their lives, up from 69% two years ago. Half (51%) of Christian women say they are "born again" or evangelical Women Are Becoming More Conservative While the survey did not measure political activism by religious groups, it shows that women's opinions on a number of political and social issues have become more conservative as religious involvement in public issues increases: Thirty-six percent of women agree with the Southern Baptist resolution that "wives should submit graciously to the leadership of their husbands," and almost half (48%) of women feel it is better for society if the man is the achiever outside the home and the woman takes care of home and family. More women support (43%) than oppose (33%) affirmative action. However, a large number of women (24%) are undecided on this issue, indicating significant erosion in support from two years ago. Forty-four percent of women believe divorce should be more difficult to obtain. While the majority of women (73%) endorse the provision of birth control information in the public schools, the percentage of women who strongly oppose it increased from 9% in 1996 to 14% in 1998. Sixty percent of women who consider themselves to be very religious oppose the availability of condoms in school, compared to 20% of women who say religion is not important in their lives. Seventy percent of women now favor more restrictions on abortion, including 40% who think it should only be allowed in cases of rape, incest, or to save the woman's life, and 13% who would not permit it under any circumstances. Two years ago 45% of women held these restrictive views on abortion, compared with 53% today. The Divide Between Religion and Politics is Blurring Half of women now say it is would be better for politicians to be guided by religious values (46%), while an equal number (46%) say religion and politics shouldn't mix. This is a significant shift from just six years ago, when women were twice as likely to think religion and politics should not mix (63%) as to hold the alternative view (32%). About half of women say they would welcome greater involvement of religious organizations in a variety of public issues, including employment for women, sex roles, sexual harassment, birth control, and abortion. The Religious "Shopping Cart": Women Make Their Own Choices on Personal Issues The majority of women who attend religious services say religious teachings have had no influence over decisions on whether to use birth control (68%), whether or when to have children (63%), what family decisions should be left to their husband (55% of married women), and whether to work or have a career (53%). Thirty-four percent of women who attend religious services say they sometimes feel their personal beliefs are in conflict with the teachings of their place of worship. However, only about one in ten women who attend services say they feel uncomfortable about their political beliefs (8%), their sexuality (9%), or their use of birth control (10%). Only one-third (32%) of women say their religious belief was the biggest influence on their thinking on abortion, about the same as the 31% of women who identified religion as the primary influence on their thinking on abortion two years ago. Other influences include personal experience, education, and family and friends. "In this survey, and in our conversations around the country, women tell us they receive a lot of support from their religious faith," noted Faye Wattleton. "Organized religion must remember, however, that to truly support women, and to expect the support of women in return, religion must recognize and promote the full equality and worth of women." Ms. Wattleton continued: "In recent years, many conservative religious organizations and leaders have become increasingly involved in the national political debate, frequently on the wrong side of the gender equality issue. As advocates for gender equality, we call upon all organized religions to promote the full equality of women, and we ask women to expect nothing less than equality from their religious organizations." About the National Survey The survey was sponsored by the Center for Gender Equality and conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. The survey sample is a representative national sample of 1,000 women age 18 and older. Interviews were conducted by telephone during the period June 30 through July 22, 1998. For results based on the total sample of 1,000 women, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the error attributable to sampling is plus or minus three percentage points. About the Center for Gender Equality Founded in 1995, the Center for Gender Equality is an independent research and educational institution founded to advance equality for women. The Center's mission is to build capacity for broad-based national data collection, multi-disciplinary research and scholarship, collaboration with other research and policy centers, and communications to diverse audiences in order to promote an informed national awareness of gender equality issues and advance women's equal participation at every level of our society. ### CENTER FOR GENDER EQUALITY 25 West 43rd Street, Suite 1014 New York, NY 10036-7406 Tel 212-391-7718 Fax 212-391-7720