Women leaving the churches in droves

According to a researcher at the University of Derby, churches in England have lost about 50,000 women every year from their congregations since 1989. Dr Kristin Aune said many young women were put off by the "traditional values" and were discouraged from attending by TV programmes promoting female empowerment.

Dr Aune, co-author of Women and Religion in the West, said: "In short, women are abandoning the church. Young women tend to express egalitarian values and dislike the traditionalism and hierarchies they imagine are integral to the church." She said many women found it difficult to make time for church while juggling work and family. "With the pressures women face, churches must adapt to make themselves more accessible." Dr Aune based the figures for her book on information gathered from the English Church Census.

NSS August 2008