An exploration of religious gender differences amongst Jewish-American emerging adults of different socio-religious subgroups

Abstract

This article explores gender differences in the religious experiences of 416 Jewish (Secular, Traditional, and Modern-Orthodox) emerging adults (M Age = 23.16). Prior research has indicated that women are more religious than men cross-culturally. The purpose of this study was to investigate if such gender differences remain applicable to Jewish-American emerging adults given both the changing role of women in society and emerging adults' prolonged search for identity. Findings reveal that most gender differences in the religious values and experiences of Jewish-American emerging adults are statistically insignificant and when significant, are specific to subgroup. Furthermore, it was found that gender analyses of composite scores do not necessarily accurately report the presence or lack thereof of gender differences in religious development. It is therefore suggested that future research may benefit from the analysis of individual religious items and that efforts be made to explore within-group and between-group differences. © 2011 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden.