Women show deep drop in church attendance, survey says

(RNS) Women, long considered the dominant pew dwellers in the nation's
churches, have shown a dramatic drop in attendance in the last two
decades, a new survey shows.

Since 1991, the percentage of women attending church during a
typical week has decreased by 11 percentage points to 44 percent, the
Barna Group reported Monday (Aug. 1).

Sunday school and volunteering among women also has diminished. Two
decades ago, half of all women read the Bible in a typical week -- other
than at religious events. Now 40 percent do.