If they are otherwise qualified, are women in your congregation permitted to: Preach at a main worship service? (National Congregations Study 2006-2007)

Each question was asked of a key informant from the congregation, such as a minister, priest, rabbi, or other staff person or leader.

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Can Women Preach? (National Congregations Study 2006-2007)     [Results weighted by W1]

Related Topics • Can Women be Religious Leaders? • Gender of Religious Leader • See all Topics Demographic Patterns • Year Founded • Adult Members • Political Ideology • Region of the Country • Religious Tradition • Theology

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Can Women Preach? (Demographic Patterns)

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Can Women Preach? by Year Founded

	Before 1900	1900-1950	1951-1999	2000 or Later	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	66.9% 241	62.6% 243	63.6% 362	89.2% 83	64	65.9% 929
No	30.8% 111	36.1% 140	35.5% 202	10.8% 10	25	32.8% 463
Don't know	2.2% 8	1.3% 5	0.9% 5	0.0% 0	0	1.3% 18
MISSING	0	1	3	5	0	9
TOTAL	100.0% 360	100.0% 388	100.0% 569	100.0% 93	89	1410

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Can Women Preach? by Adult Members

	25 or Less	26-50	51-100	101-200	More than 200	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	71.1% 143	68.6% 254	63.6% 238	64.0% 185	66.2% 172	0	66.4% 992
No	28.4% 57	29.5% 109	34.5% 129	35.6% 103	33.8% 88	1	32.5% 486
Don't know	0.5% 1	1.9% 7	1.9% 7	0.3% 1	0.0% 0	0	1.1% 16
MISSING	0	4	0	1	0	0	5
TOTAL	100.0% 201	100.0% 370	100.0% 374	100.0% 289	100.0% 260	1	1494

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Can Women Preach? by Political Ideology

	More on the conservative side	Right in the middle	More on the liberal side	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	55.0% 452	77.3% 378	94.6% 105	57	65.8% 935
No	43.3% 356	22.1% 108	5.4% 6	17	33.1% 470
Don't know	1.7% 14	0.6% 3	0.0% 0	0	1.2% 17
MISSING	0	0	0	0	0
TOTAL	100.0% 822	100.0% 489	100.0% 111	74	1422

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Can Women Preach? by Region of the Country

	New England or Mid-Atlantic	East North Central or West North Central	South Atlantic, East South Central, or West South Central	Mountain or Pacific	TOTAL
Yes	70.1% 138	68.3% 261	60.0% 428	80.4% 164	66.2% 991
No	26.4% 52	30.9% 118	39.0% 278	19.6% 40	32.6% 488
Don't know	3.6% 7	0.8% 3	1.0% 7	0.0% 0	1.1% 17
MISSING	0	4	3	2	9
TOTAL	100.0% 197	100.0% 382	100.0% 713	100.0% 204	1496

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Can Women Preach? by Religious Tradition

	Roman Catholic	White conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist	Black Protestant	White liberal or moderate	Non-Christian	TOTAL
Yes	21.5% 17	56.3% 410	71.5% 254	95.4% 272	78.4% 40	66.3% 993
No	78.5% 62	43.0% 313	27.3% 97	1.8% 5	21.6% 11	32.6% 488
Don't know	0.0% 0	0.7% 5	1.1% 4	2.8% 8	0.0% 0	1.1% 17
MISSING	0	9	0	0	0	9
TOTAL	100.0% 79	100.0% 728	100.0% 355	100.0% 285	100.0% 51	1498

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Can Women Preach? by Theology

	More on the conservative side	Right in the middle	More on the liberal side	Missing	TOTAL
Yes	53.9% 493	83.5% 355	97.5% 118	26	66.2% 966
No	45.0% 411	14.8% 63	2.5% 3	11	32.7% 477
Don't know	1.1% 10	1.6% 7	0.0% 0	0	1.2% 17
MISSING	0	0	0	0	0
TOTAL	100.0% 914	100.0% 425	100.0% 121	37	1460

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Notes

The National Congregations Study (NCS) dataset "fills a void in the sociological study of congregations by providing, for the first time, data that can be used to draw a nationally aggregate picture of congregations" (Chaves et al. 1999, p.460). Thanks to innovations in sampling techniques, the NCS data is the first nationally representative sample of American congregations. In 2006-07, a panel component was added to the NCS. In addition to the new cross-section of congregations generated in conjunction with the 2006 General Social Survey (GSS), a stratified random sample was drawn from congregations who participated in the 1998 NCS. The 2006-07 NCS sample, then, includes a subset of cases that were also interviewed in 1998. A full codebook, prepared by the primary investigator, is available for download here. The codebook contains the original questionnaire, as well as detailed information on survey methodology, weights, coding, and more.