Reflecting on 2024, I keep coming back to one thing: this has been a year marked by gender gaps. And not just in one area but across several facets of our society: religion, politics, education, and beyond. It seems like every significant aspect of life is being reshaped by these growing divides, sparking various questions. Are women doing "too much" or "too little"? Are women having too few children? Are too many women pursuing careers? Are too many women voting blue? The question isn't really about what women are doing, however. It's about why we're seeing such distinct differences between men and women in how they're engaging with the world. And what does that mean for us moving forward?
Take organized religion, for example. According to the American Survey Center [1], many young women are stepping away from religious institutions, and they're doing so at a higher rate than men for the first time in history. Statistically speaking, 54% of young women now identify as religiously unaffiliated, compared to 46% of young men. This isn't just some random footnote that we brush off; this is something that we need to be looking at. It could suggest that, for some young women, the structure of organized religion might not resonate as strongly as they used to. The traditional frameworks that have long defined American religious life may not always align with some young women's evolving lives or values.
This gendered shift away from organized religion isn't happening uniformly. Women diverging from men is also intertwined with political affiliation, civic engagement, and educational attainment gaps. The gender gap in U.S. party affiliation has grown significantly, with women increasingly leaning toward the Democratic Party while men have shown a tendency to lean more Republican. For example, Gallup's regular measurement of ideology since 1992 has shown that the largest segments have been conservative, while liberals have made up the smallest group. However, the increase in the percentage of women identifying as liberal, from 29% in 1992 to 40% today, is quite notable [2]. This divergence in political identity mirrors the split we're now looking at in religious affiliation, and both gaps are widening year by year.
In higher education, we see yet another gender gap in college enrollment and graduation. For example, the four-year graduation rate at four-year institutions is 54% for female students compared to 43% for male students. Women now make up a more significant proportion of college students than men, with 8.9 million women compared to 6.5 million men, a trend that has only accelerated over the past few years [3]. This growing gap in higher education creates ripple effects in career choices, economic opportunities, and social expectations. With more women pursuing degrees and men often dropping out to provide for families, the disparity is driving broader societal shifts in how gender roles are perceived and experienced.
So, what's behind these growing divides? Part of it, I would argue, lies in how institutions address (or fail to address) gender roles. Many young women are starting to find the traditional narratives about women's roles restrictive. Organized religions often have deeply entrenched ideas about leadership, and those ideas are typically male-centric. Understandably, some young women feel like there isn't a place for them in these spaces, mainly when their experiences and aspirations aren't reflected in them meaningfully.
This issue extends to politics as well. Many young women today value inclusivity, equality, and social justice, principles that don't always align neatly with the teachings or culture of specific religious or political institutions. As a result, they're struggling to find their place in these typically “conservative” institutions, and are instead finding their place in more liberal institutions. Studies show that liberal-leaning women are far more likely to leave organized religion than their conservative peers, highlighting how political and spiritual identities are becoming increasingly intertwined [4]. For many, it's not about rejecting faith but finding and creating spaces within or outside their religious communities that align more closely with their values and aspirations.
Education, too, plays a role in this realignment. The gender gap in college enrollment and graduation rates [5] means that more young women are entering the workforce with higher education levels than their male counterparts, altering traditional dynamics in the workforce and households. Women are increasingly becoming the primary breadwinners [6] or have incomes on par with their husbands, challenging long-standing societal norms about gender roles. This shift also influences how women engage with other institutions, including religion and politics, as they challenge long-standing societal norms and redefine their roles within these spaces.
But here's where I'm coming from. I'm LDS, and I'm happy in my faith. I've found meaning, community, and space for my questions within organized religion [7]. I believe there's a path forward where women don't have to walk away but instead can reshape these spaces to better reflect the needs and contributions of everyone involved. We need faith communities, political affiliations, universities, and workplaces that welcome and actively uplift women, creating space for evolving perspectives while staying rooted in enduring truths. Many women aren't leaving these spaces because they're doing 'too much' or 'too little,' but searching for belonging and purpose in an ever-changing world. To change the narrative, we must create environments where both women and men can thrive—where they feel heard, valued, and have room to grow, authentically reflected in every level of our spiritual, social, and educational lives.
