Religion: Women vs. MenMany times we wonder what is the relationship between two or three different variables. We use an independent variable, which is the variable that is hypothesized to cause, or lead to, variation in another variable in cross-sectional designs. The variable on which the independent variable has an effect is called the dependent variable. I chose to use Gender as my independent variable and different aspects of religion as my dependent variable. I wanted to see if women have more confidence than men in the church, the clergy and the people with whom they worship. I also wanted to see if women attended church more often than men and if they were more active in the church opposed to men. I used cross-tabs to show which gender was more apt to trust these variables and which gender attended church more and participated more in church activities. My first hypothesis is that women have more confidence in the church than men because they accept more on faith. My second hypothesis is that women have more confidence in the clergy than men because they are more submissive to authority. My third hypothesis is that women trust people at their place of worship more than men because the people with whom they worship with are similar to them. My fourth hypothesis is that women attend church more than men because they have more time. And my fifth hypothesis is that women participate in activities involving the church more than men because women are more social. My first hypothesis is that women have more confidence in the church than men because they accept more on faith. It is through the teachings of the church that women have faith in the respect of a higher being who is in control of their lives. Women feel that this higher being guides them in the choices they make regarding theirlivelihood (profession over stay-at-home), rearing their children and everyday decisions. By achieving their goals, they feel connected to a higher being and connected to the church. This gives them their spirituality. Men, on the other hand, feel as though the choices and/or decisions they make are done so on their own. They feel that no matter what decision they make and no matter the outcome that the decision was solely their decision. Men have a hard time of accepting things that they cannot see, feel or hear for themselves. Men do not accept a faith just by being told to do so. Men tend to be realist. They want proof. Men do not accept answers that easily. They keep questioning. In contrast, women tend to accept the answers that they are searching for as long as the questions in which they are asking satisfies the searching that is in their hearts. My second hypothesis is that women have more confidence in the clergy than men because they are more submissive to authority. When women have a problem in their life they are more likely to talk to the clergy because they are more emotional and verbal. The clergy is a person whom women know will listen. The clergy tends to stand in as a father figure or a figure of the spouse/boyfriend, etc. When women feel as if they are not able to talk to one of these figures, the clergy is the best substitute. It is the clergy’s job to listen and not be judgmental. Women feel comfortable talking to the clergy and in turn trust him. Men do not want to be submissive. They have an ego problem that they cannot get passed. Men tend to be the head of the household so they feel like a failure if they cannot solve a problem, especially if they need to get help. Men prefer to handle theirproblems alone instead of seeking guidance. Seeking help makes them feel inadequate and weak. Men like to feel in control of their lives. My third hypothesis is that women trust people at their place of worship more than men because the people with whom they worship with are similar to them. Women feel connected to other people who are associated in the same activities. They feel that people who are involved in the activities are probably like themselves. They in turn feel that they are able to trust these people. Men do not trust anyone until they get to know them. People have to prove themselves to men that they are trustworthy before they get the stamp of approval. They tend to follow the “guilty until proven innocent” motto. In other words, you are not trusted until you prove that you can be trusted. My fourth hypothesis is that women attend church more than men because they have more time. Women tend not to work on the weekends. Most women who have children chose not to work on the weekends so that they may spend time with their children. Women feel the need to bring their children into the church. Women also make commitments easier and tend to enjoy being part of something. Men tend to work more and want to spend their leisure time doing things that appeals to their liking. They prefer watching football, fishing or anything that is not a commitment. They do not want to be tied to anything for a long period of time. They prefer to do things that they want to do and when they want to do them. My fifth hypothesis is that women participate in activities involving the church more than men because women are more social. Women like to be involved. They tend to take the nurturing role because they like to be dependent upon. Taking care of eventsor activities in the church makes them feel as if the whole church community is relying on them. Through giving back to the community and to the church, women feel that they are giving back to the higher being. Men prefer to take the backseat when it comes to organizing an activity at church. They prefer to be asked if help is needed. They are not quick to volunteer their services. They have a hard time committing to any one thing especially when it cuts in to their free time. To come up with these hypotheses we had to first come up with a survey that would allow us to compare and/or contrast different variables. First, as a class, we decided on topics that we thought would be useful to our survey. Once the topics had been decided, we broke ourselves into groups according to the topics that interested us. We then came up with general questions that we thought should be on the survey. Then we did research from other surveys, such as the General Social Survey, to determine which specific questions would be appropriate to put on the survey. Once all the