Gender and Paganism in Census and Survey Data
Issue: Vol 15 No. 1-2 (2013)
Journal: Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies
Subject Areas: Religious Studies
Abstract:
Researchers often bemoan the lack of hard data on the size of the Pagan movement. There are, however, some national censuses that collect data on modern Pagans. These include the censuses of four Anglophone countries – Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK. Using figures from the censuses of these four nations as well as from a large survey study, the Pagan Census Revisited, the present paper will discuss the demographic and attitudinal profiles of Pagans, with a focus on the differential distribution of gender. Congruent with prior research, the current study finds that the majority of Pagans are women – though a few traditions tend to be dominated by men. And while we uncovered certain gender-stereotypical differences between male and female Pagans, we also found numerous counter-stereotypical differences.
Author: James R. Lewis, Inga Bårdsen Tollefsen
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