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Assisting people across the world transitioning out of the occult and into Christianity has afforded me a unique insight into this demographic. One common question I get is, “do more women get involved in the new age and occult than men?” It seems to me that the answer to this question is yes. Outside of my personal experience, I would like to present scientific data that suggests that women are more affected by these false belief systems than men. Then, we are going to explore one of my theories regarding the why.
Are More Women Really “Spiritual but Not Religious?”
Of the 28% of Americans in a 2024 Pew Research study that classify themselves as religiously unaffiliated (nones), 63% of the individuals claim to believe “nothing in particular.” Although more men identify as atheist or agnostic, women are more likely to identify as having no particular religious beliefs. Women comprise 55% of the “nothing in particular” sub-demographic, a rate 25% higher than men.
49% of religious “nones” claim to be spiritual but not religious. Within this data set, some of the results are interesting when it comes to analyzing the gender gap:
- 60% of women described themselves as spiritual and claimed that spirituality was very important to them, a rate 50% higher than men, of whom 40% agreed.
- 43% of women answered that they have felt a sudden connection from something beyond this world, a rate 30% higher than men, of whom 33% agreed.
- 33% of women felt a spiritual presence of something beyond this world at least several times a year, a rate 83% higher than men, of whom 18% agreed.
- 48% of women agreed that they had a strong feeling that a deceased person was communicating with them, a rate 10% higher than men, of whom 24% agreed.
- 72% of women believed that animals have spirits, a rate 47% higher than men, of whom 49% agreed.
- 63% of women believed that parts of nature (mountains, trees, rivers) have spirits, a rate 37% higher than men, of whom 46% agreed.
- 59% of women believed that cemeteries and memorial sites have spiritual energy, a rate 68% higher than men, of whom 35% agreed.
- 39% of women believed that objects such as crystals, stones, and jewels have spiritual energy, a rate 95% higher than men, of whom 20% agreed.
- 23% of women use crystals for spiritual purposes, a rate 130% higher than men, of whom 10% agreed.
- 14% of women use an at-home altar, shrine, or icon for spiritual purposes, a rate 56% higher than men, of whom 9% agreed.
- 65% of women believed that there are some things that science cannot possibly explain, a rate 38% higher than men, of whom 47% agreed.
Women and Spirituality: A Broader Look
The most interesting data point to me is that on every single question in this particular aspect of the study on spirituality, women scored higher than men. This survey suggests that women have a statistically significant greater propensity than men to engage in spiritual but not religious beliefs.
The idea that women are more inclined than men to emphasize spirituality extends past the demographic of “spiritual but not religious” and is echoed across other research studies as well. A 2022 Fetzer Institute study of U.S. spirituality found that 55% of women did not doubt that a higher power exists, a rate 28% higher than men.
Additionally, a 2021 study was conducted to analyze gender differences in psychosocial, religious, and spiritual approaches to coping among cancer patients, and found that women had a 27% higher tendency to lean on religion or spirituality than men when dealing with issues around a cancer diagnosis.
Women in this study were significantly more often religious/spiritual than men. This is in line with prior studies that showed similar results. Studies documented that women are more into religiousness and religious/spiritual practices and more frequently use R/S [religiosity and/or spirituality] coping strategies than men.
Given the level of value that women hold upon spiritual identity and its function in handling life circumstances and even traumatic situations, let’s pivot for a moment and discuss the intersection between spiritual beliefs and the handling of life events.
Women and Worldview: Exploring External Locus of Control
Julian B. Rotter, an American clinical psychologist, published a social learning theory around unconscious impulses and correlated behaviors in 1954. Part of his theory posits that people have either an internal or external locus of control. A person who exhibits an internal locus of control feels as though their successes or failures depend largely on their own efforts, whereas a person with an external locus of control feels as though external events, people, or forces ultimately determine their situational outcomes.
An important aspect of Rotter’s theory expresses that the locus of control is a continuum and a person’s approach is largely influenced by their own experiences and the environment. This means that a person’s locus of control can and will usually shift depending on multiple factors. This is not static.
My “Spiritual but Not Religious” Locus of Control Theory
Now, you might be wondering at this point why I bring this up. First, it’s because women tend to have a more external locus of control than men. This might not come as a surprise to you given all the data we assessed from before. But more than that detail, I believe the concept of locus of control is quite critical when examining a woman’s approach to unconventional spirituality, particularly their engagement with the new age and the occult.
You see, I have a theory too. Here’s the background. Most of the women that I help that are coming out of the occult have an extensive history of trauma. Most of them have been mentally, emotionally, and/or sexually abused by men, many of them in childhood, and have grown up to believe that men in positions of power over them can and will abuse them. This pattern usually continues into adulthood, resulting in a sense of powerlessness and helplessness, and leads them to believe that they have little control or power over their situations. They tend to attribute the cause of many events to spiritual forces and feel a sense of divine abandonment by God in the wake of years of extensive abuse. I believe this is why many of them in this particular demographic have an external locus of control. Many of them go on to end up in life situations where they lack agency and have low self-esteem, exhibiting signs of chronic anxiety and depression.
Here’s my theory. Many women who get involved in the occult and the new age are doing so to attempt to exact agency over their environment. Think about it this way. On a subconscious level, these women are attempting to shift from an external locus of control to a healthier internal locus of control so they can feel like they have power and control over their lives. Engaging in the occult appeals to them because this belief system would, in their view, confront the external forces of nature that they feel they’ve been tossed around by their whole lives and bring those forces of nature under their power so they could at last impact their environment in a positive way.
Spiritual But Not Religious: Drawing into the Occult
The truth is, women who get pulled into the occult do so for many reasons, usually around this concept of seeking control over their lives and environment. Some of these reasons include, but are not limited to:
- Exhibiting a high amount of openness to experiences leading them to explore alternative spiritual paths.
- Turning away from perceived patriarchal religions where they don’t feel safe or seen by men.
- Interpreting alternative spirituality as a means of finding personal empowerment and autonomy away from authority structures.
- Seeking alternative healing and occult modalities around pregnancy, women’s health, and wellness.
- Pursuing the divine feminine path to connect to personal intuition and self-love.
- Establishing homemaking practices that center around hearth magic and witchcraft.
Occult modalities are spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically dangerous, as they lead women into delusion and destruction, centering them on narcissism and false paths of healing. A safe approach for women seeking healing from trauma is through both empirically-validated cognitive behavioral psychotherapy with a licensed psychologist and proper Christian spiritual direction, drawing them into truth and safety.
Editor’s Note: The author’s book Freedom From Darkness: A Roadmap to Deliverance from Spiritual Bondage and the Occult highlights personal testimonies, practical steps for deliverance, and the powerful role of the Church in combating evil. It can be ordered from Sophia Institute Press.
And, if you enjoyed this article, feel free to check out this author’s previous article “How I Learned Tarot is a Trap.”
Photo by Conscious Design on Unsplash
