Young women are leaving the church

They've been the 'backbone' of their congregations. What changed?

Illustration of a church building with a female gender symbol toppling from the spire
Male-led churches "increasingly seem to be preaching to a choir that is missing women's voices"
(Image credit: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Future)

Experts agree: Women have long served as the heart of Christian churches in America. It was often the men who had to be dragged along to services. But now that's changing.

"Men are staying in church," Ruth Graham said at The New York Times, "while the women are leaving at a remarkable clip." Church membership has been dropping in the United States for years, but the exodus is particularly marked among young women: 40% now call themselves "religiously unaffiliated," while just 34% of young men say the same. How significant is that? For decades before now, research found that "women have been consistently more religious than men," said the Times. The shift away from that longstanding dynamic could profoundly reshape "family life and politics" in America.

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Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.