If they are otherwise qualified, are women in your congregation permitted to: Be the head clergyperson or primary religious leader of your congregation? (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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[Results weighted by W1] |
Related Topics
Demographic Patterns
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Can Women be Religious Leaders? (Demographic Patterns)
Can Women be Religious Leaders? by Year Founded
| Before 1900 | 1900-1950 | 1951-1999 | 2000 or Later | Missing | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 51.0% 183 | 47.8% 185 | 42.7% 243 | 54.3% 51 | 45 | 47.0% 662 |
| No | 47.6% 171 | 49.6% 192 | 56.2% 320 | 42.6% 40 | 41 | 51.3% 723 |
| Don't know | 1.4% 5 | 2.6% 10 | 1.1% 6 | 3.2% 3 | 2 | 1.7% 24 |
| MISSING | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 359 | 100.0% 387 | 100.0% 569 | 100.0% 94 | 88 | 1409 |
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Can Women be Religious Leaders? by Adult Members
| 25 or Less | 26-50 | 51-100 | 101-200 | More than 200 | Missing | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 58.7% 118 | 49.1% 182 | 43.0% 161 | 41.5% 120 | 47.7% 124 | 1 | 47.2% 705 |
| No | 41.3% 83 | 49.3% 183 | 54.3% 203 | 56.1% 162 | 51.2% 133 | 1 | 51.1% 764 |
| Don't know | 0.0% 0 | 1.6% 6 | 2.7% 10 | 2.4% 7 | 1.2% 3 | 0 | 1.7% 26 |
| MISSING | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 201 | 100.0% 371 | 100.0% 374 | 100.0% 289 | 100.0% 260 | 2 | 1495 |
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Can Women be Religious Leaders? by Political Ideology
| More on the conservative side | Right in the middle | More on the liberal side | Missing | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 36.7% 302 | 55.7% 273 | 86.5% 96 | 37 | 47.2% 671 |
| No | 61.4% 505 | 42.9% 210 | 13.5% 15 | 35 | 51.3% 730 |
| Don't know | 1.8% 15 | 1.4% 7 | 0.0% 0 | 3 | 1.5% 22 |
| MISSING | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 822 | 100.0% 490 | 100.0% 111 | 75 | 1423 |
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Can Women be Religious Leaders? 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 | 55.6% 110 | 52.6% 201 | 38.8% 277 | 58.3% 119 | 47.2% 707 |
| No | 42.9% 85 | 47.1% 180 | 58.3% 416 | 41.2% 84 | 51.1% 765 |
| Don't know | 1.5% 3 | 0.3% 1 | 2.8% 20 | 0.5% 1 | 1.7% 25 |
| MISSING | 0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 198 | 100.0% 382 | 100.0% 713 | 100.0% 204 | 1497 |
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Can Women be Religious Leaders? by Religious Tradition
| Roman Catholic | White conservative, evangelical, or fundamentalist | Black Protestant | White liberal or moderate | Non-Christian | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 10.1% 8 | 34.2% 249 | 41.4% 147 | 94.7% 269 | 68.0% 34 | 47.2% 707 |
| No | 89.9% 71 | 64.7% 472 | 53.8% 191 | 4.9% 14 | 32.0% 16 | 51.0% 764 |
| Don't know | 0.0% 0 | 1.1% 8 | 4.8% 17 | 0.4% 1 | 0.0% 0 | 1.7% 26 |
| MISSING | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 79 | 100.0% 729 | 100.0% 355 | 100.0% 284 | 100.0% 50 | 1497 |
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Can Women be Religious Leaders? by Theology
| More on the conservative side | Right in the middle | More on the liberal side | Missing | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 34.6% 316 | 60.8% 259 | 90.8% 109 | 23 | 46.9% 684 |
| No | 64.3% 587 | 35.9% 153 | 9.2% 11 | 13 | 51.5% 751 |
| Don't know | 1.1% 10 | 3.3% 14 | 0.0% 0 | 1 | 1.6% 24 |
| MISSING | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 100.0% 913 | 100.0% 426 | 100.0% 120 | 37 | 1459 |
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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.
