In a shift that has become much more noticeable in five of the last six years, men, especially among millennials and Generation X, have been outpacing women in church attendance. The trend spiked significantly this year, a new Barna report has found.
Data collected as part of Barna’s ongoing State of the Church initiative with Gloo show that following the COVID-19 lockdowns, men have been outpacing women in church attendance by significant margins. This year, Barna researchers found that 43% of men reported attending church weekly, compared with 36% of women.
”Across every generation, women are trailing men in weekly church attendance, especially among Gen X and millennials,” Barna researchers wrote.
Married fathers with children under 18 were found to be leading the way in church attendance, while single mothers trailed both married mothers and fathers on the measure. Just 24% of single mothers reported that they attend church weekly.
The gap in church attendance between men and women this year is the largest ever recorded by Barna since they began tracking the trend decades ago.
Barna’s findings also show a reversal in church statistics from the early 2000s, when women outpaced men in church attendance by a wide margin.
Seeking to make sense of the disengagement of women from church attendance, researchers discussed a confluence of factors affecting Gen Z women, including the increased burdens of work and caregiving, changing social dynamics, a cultural mismatch, and the failures of church culture and leadership.
“High-profile scandals involving male church leaders, along with toxic teaching and exclusionary practices, have eroded trust — especially among women,” researchers highlighted.
“When women see repeated examples of moral failure, abuse, or hypocrisy in church leadership, it deepens their disillusionment,” David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna Group, said in a statement on the trend.
Researchers say many women who delay marriage or choose to remain single as they focus on their careers can sometimes find it challenging in some churches that focus on families.
“They often feel isolated in congregations that cater to nuclear families,” researchers noted.
“Some researchers suggest the decline in women’s church attendance may stem from a growing disconnect between traditional, hierarchical church structures and the values of younger women — many of whom now identify as liberal politically,” they added. “In a culture that increasingly affirms women’s leadership and agency, churches that limit women’s roles may feel out of step, leaving gifted women feeling sidelined.”
Despite the gains made by men in church attendance, women's attendance has held steady or grown slightly, not at the same pace as men, as more Americans return to church.
“The question isn’t just whether men are showing up more — it’s also why women aren’t keeping pace,” Daniel Copeland, Barna’s vice president of research, said. “These trends prompt a deeper look into how women are experiencing church today, particularly younger women and single mothers.”
