Gender Differences in Religious Influence on Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan

Research has consistently shown that women tend to be more religious than men. The structural location theory proposes that, due to disadvantageous social positions, women are more likely than men to regard religion as an alternative source of social support. The relative importance of religiosity versus socioeconomic status on subjective well-being is thus expected to be more salient among women. Nevertheless, empirical verifications of this thesis, especially under East Asian contexts, are relatively few. To address this gap, this article use data drawn from AsiaBarometer 2006 survey to examines gender differences in religious influence on subjective well-being (measured with happiness and life satisfaction) in three East Asian societies: Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The three hypotheses proposed in this research are: 1) the association between religiosity and subjective well-being is stronger among women; 2) the relative importance of religiosity compared to socioeconomic status on subjective well-being is greater among women; 3) gender differences in religious influence on subjective well-being are more salient in societies with greater gender stratification. Results of analyses provide certain support for the above three hypotheses. In these three East Asian societies, the influences of religiosity on subjective well-being are more significant among women in both absolute and relative measure. Also, gender differences in the association between religiosity and subjective well-being appear to be more salient in South Korea, where gender stratification in terms of education and occupational status is greater than that in Japan and Taiwan.