Have you ever wondered why your mum would be the one to make sure you go to church on Sunday or saturday? Why not your father?

Every Saturday or Sunday depending on the denomination, roads are packed with individuals going to church nearby. If you watch closely it’s mainly women and children as compared to their male counterparts.

Scholars of religion have been researching possible reasons for the gender gap when it comes to religion. According to a 2014 Pew Research Center of faith, in the United States women are likely than men to say religion is “very important” in their lives.

Generally, men and women are believed to differ in how easily influenced they are. women are thought to be easily influenced while men more influential. Looking at how society is setup men are given roles that make them more powerful and consequently influential while women are required to be submissive and can therefore be easily influenced.

It has also been observed that women who are employed tend to show low levels of religious commitment than women who do not work. To me this makes more sense in that in our African societies women are mostly tasked with staying at home and taking care of the family and therefore have more time to think of religious matters. Most people who are employed tend to rest on Sunday which among Christian’s is a day to go to church.

According to a Baylor university sociologist Rodney Stark,high testosterone levels in men is associated with men’s greater prosperity to take risks. He noted that men have a greater innate tendency to take risks and are therefore more willing to gamble that they will not face punishment in the afterlife or even the existence of heaven.

Women have been known to be emotional beings therefore appealing to their emotions will evoke a reaction. This is a concept that has been used by most churches to influence women and making them believe that being religious is a solution to most of their problems. Telling a story from the bible and how God provided a solution will most likely attract the attention of women.

Despite alot of theories emerging trying to explain the phenomenon, explanations vary from one person to another. What is your opinion?