Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-05T14:45:46.536Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Choosing Choice: How Gender and Religiosity Shape Abortion Attitudes among Latinos

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 March 2020

Mirya Holman Open the ORCID record for Mirya Holman [Opens in a new window] ,
Erica Podrazik  and
Heather Silber Mohamed Open the ORCID record for Heather Silber Mohamed [Opens in a new window]
Mirya Holman
Affiliation:
Tulane University
Erica Podrazik
Affiliation:
Tulane University
Heather Silber Mohamed*
Affiliation:
Clark University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Heather Silber Mohamed, Clark University, Worcester, MA. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The relationship between religiosity and political attitudes is well established in the United States, particularly around gendered issues like abortion. However, this relationship can be complicated by the highly gendered and racialized nature of social identities. In this paper, we explore how different forms of religiosity (belonging to a denomination, specific religious beliefs, and religious behavior in church and in private) interact with gender to shape Latino abortion preferences. Using two sets of national survey data, we find that Evangelicalism and church attendance are more strongly associated with anti-abortion attitudes among Latino men, while religious beliefs are gender neutral. Our results illustrate the importance of intersectional approaches to studies of social identities and political preferences, as well as the importance of including gender in research on the role of the Evangelical church on immigrant political behavior.

Keywords

LatinosgenderreligiosityabortionEvangelicalismbiblechurch attendancesocial groupsintersectionality
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , July 2020 , pp. 384 - 411
Copyright
Copyright © The Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Paper was previously presented at the 2018 Western Political Science Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. The authors thank Erin Cassese, Heather Ondercin, and Libby Sharrow for their comments on the project.

References

REFERENCES

Amaro, Hortensia. 1988. “Women in the Mexican-American Community: Religion, Culture, and Reproductive Attitudes and Experiences.” Journal of Community Psychology 16(1): 6–20.3.0.CO;2-1>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, Tiffany D., and Cassese, Erin C.. 2017. “American Party Women: A Look at the Gender Gap within Parties.” Political Research Quarterly 70(1): 127–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barton, Paul. 2006. Hispanic Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists in Texas. Austin, TC: University of Texas Press.Google Scholar
Bartowski, John P., Ramos, Aida, Ellison, Chris G., and Acevedo, Gabriel A.. 2012. “Faith, Race-Ethnicity, and Public Policy Preferences: Religious Schemas and Abortion Attitudes among U.S. Latinos.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 51(2): 343–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bejarano, Christina E. 2014. The Latino Gender Gap in U.S. Politics. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Bejarano, Christina E., Manzano, Sylvia, and Montoya, Celeste. 2011. “Tracing the Latino Gender Gap: Gender Attitudes Across Sex, Borders, and Generations.” Politics and Gender 7: 521–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bolks, Sean M., Evans, Diana, Polinard, J. L., and Wrinkle, Robert D.. 2000. “Core Beliefs and Abortion Attitudes: A Look at Latinos.” Social Science Quarterly 81(1): 253–60.Google Scholar
Branton, Regina P., Cassese, Erin S., Jones, Bradford S., and Westerland, Chad. 2011. “All Along the Watchtower: Acculturation, Fear, Anti-Latino Affect, and Immigration.” The Journal of Politics 73(3): 664–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, Nadia E., and Gershon, Sarah A., eds. 2016. Distinct Identities: Minority Women in U.S. Politics. New York: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burge, Ryan P., and Lewis, Andrew R.. 2018. “Measuring Evangelicals: Practical Considerations for Social Scientists.” Politics and Religion 11(4): 745–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, David E., Layman, Geoffrey C., Green, John C., and Sumaktoyo, Nathanael G.. 2018. “Putting Politics First: The Impact of Politics on American Religious and Secular Orientations.” American Journal of Political Science 62(3): 551–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carlos, Roberto F. 2018. “Late to the Party: On the Prolonged Partisan Socialization Process of Second-Generation Americans.” Journal of Race, Ethnicity and Politics 3(2): 381–408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carsey, Thomas M., and Layman, Geoffrey C.. 2006. “Changing Sides or Changing Minds? Party Identification and Policy Preferences in the American Electorate.” American Journal of Political Science 50(2): 464–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cassese, Erin C., and Barnes, Tiffany D.. 2018. “Reconciling Sexism and Women's Support for Republican Candidates: A Look at Gender, Class, and Whiteness in the 2012 and 2016 Presidential Races.” Political Behavior, 1–24. doi:10.1007/s11109-018-9468-2.Google Scholar
Cassese, Erin C., and Holman, Mirya R.. 2016. “Religious Beliefs, Gender Consciousness, and Women's Political Participation.” Sex Roles 75(9–10): 514–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cassese, Erin C., and Holman, Mirya R.. 2017. “Religion, Gendered Authority, and Identity in American Politics.” Politics and Religion 10(1): 31–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crenshaw, Kimberlé. 1994. “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color.” In The Public Nature of Private Violence, eds. Fineman, Martha Albertson and Mykitiuk, Rixanne. New York: Routledge, 93–118.Google Scholar
Deckman, Melissa, Crawford, Sue E. S., Olson, Laura R., and Green, John C.. 2003. “Clergy and the Politics of Gender.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 42(4): 621–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deckman, Melissa, and McTague, John. 2015. “Did the ‘War on Women’ Work? Women, Men, and the Birth Control Mandate in the 2012 Presidential Election.” American Politics Research 43(1): 3–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Denton, Melinda Lundquist. 2004. “Gender and Marital Decision Making: Negotiating Religious Ideology and Practice.” Social Forces 82(3): 1151–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Djupe, Paul A., and Gilbert, Christopher P.. 2009. The Political Influence of Churches. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Djupe, Paul A., Neiheisel, Jacob R., and Sokhey, Anand E.. 2018. “Reconsidering the Role of Politics in Leaving Religion: The Importance of Affiliation.” American Journal of Political Science 62(1): 161–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Djupe, Paul A., Sokhey, A. E., and Gilbert, C. P.. 2007. “Present but Not Accounted for? Gender Differences in Civic Resource Acquisition.” American Journal of Political Science 51(4): 906–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ebaugh, Helen Rose Fuchs, and Chafetz, Janet Saltzman, eds. 2002. Religion Across Borders: Transnational Immigrant Networks. Rowman Altamira.Google Scholar
Ellison, Christopher G., Echevarría, Samuel, and Smith, Brad. 2005. “Religion and Abortion Attitudes Among U.S. Hispanics: Findings from the 1990 Latino National Political Survey.” Social Science Quarterly 86(1): 192–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farris, Emily M., and Holman, Mirya R.. 2014. “Social Capital and Solving the Puzzle of Black Women's Political Participation.” Politics, Groups, and Identities 2(3): 331–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fraga, Luis R., Garcia, John A., Hero, Rodney E., Jones-Correa, Michael, Martinez-Ebers, Valerie, and Segura, Gary M.. 2006. Latino National Survey (LNS). Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2013-06-05. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR20862.v6.Google Scholar
Friesen, Amanda, and Wagner, Michael W.. 2012. “Beyond the ‘Three Bs’: How American Christians Approach Faith and Politics.” Politics and Religion 5(2): 224–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
García Bedolla, Lisa, Lavariega Monforti, Jessica L., and Pantoja, Adrian D.. 2007. “A Second Look: Is There a Latina/o Gender Gap?” Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 28(3–4): 147–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gershon, Sarah Allen, Pantoja, Adrian, and Taylor, J. Benjamin. 2016. “God in the Barrio?: The Determinants of Religiosity and Civic Engagement among Latinos in the United States.” Politics and Religion 9: 84–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, Troy, and Hare, Christopher. 2012. “Do Latino Christians and Seculars Fit the Culture War Profile? Latino Religiosity and Political Behavior.” Politics and Religion 5(1): 53–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grose, Christian R. 2018. “The Paradox of Race, Religion, and Representation: The Persistent Influence of White Evangelicals and the Decline of White Religious Voters.” Journal of Race, Ethnicity and Politics 3(1): 107–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guttmacher Institute. 2017. Abortion Rates by Race and Ethnicity. Guttmacher Institute. https://www.guttmacher.org/infographic/2017/abortion-rates-race-and-ethnicity.Google Scholar
Hancock, Ange-Marie. 2007. “When Multiplication Doesn't Equal Quick Addition: Examining Intersectionality as a Research Paradigm.” Perspectives on Politics 5(1): 63–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heidt-Forsythe, Erin. 2018. Between Families and Frankenstein: The Politics of Egg Donation in the US. Oakland, CA: University of California Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Higgins, Nicholas. 2014. “Religious Influences on Latino Ideology and Vote Choice: Are Evangelical Catholics Different?” Politics, Groups, and Identities 2(3): 402–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hirschman, Charles. 2004. “The Role of Religion in the Origins and Adaptation of Immigrant Groups in the United States.” International Migration Review 38(3): 1206–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holman, Mirya R., and Podrazik, Erica. 2018. “Gender and Religiosity in the United States.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.686.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huddy, Leonie, Cassese, Erin, and Lizotte, Mary-Kate. 2008. “Gender, Public Opinion, and Political Reasoning.” In Political Women and American Democracy, eds. Wolbrecht, Christina, Beckwith, Karen, and Baldez, Lisa. New York: Cambridge University Press, 31–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huddy, Leonie, Mason, Liliana, and Horwitz, S. Nechama. 2016. “Political Identity Convergence: On Being Latino, Becoming a Democrat, and Getting Active.” RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 2(3): 205–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunt, Larry L. 1999. “Hispanic Protestantism in the United States: Trends by Decade and Generation.” Social Forces 77: 1601–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jelen, Ted G. 2014. “The Subjective Bases of Abortion Attitudes: A Cross National Comparison of Religious Traditions.” Politics and Religion 7(3): 550–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jelen, Ted G., and Wilcox, Clyde. 2003. “Causes and Consequences of Public Attitudes toward Abortion: A Review and Research Agenda.” Political Research Quarterly 56(4): 489–500.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaufmann, Karen M. 2002. “Culture Wars, Secular Realignment, and the Gender Gap in Party Identification.” Political Behavior 24(3): 283–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaufmann, Karen M., and Petrocik, John R.. 1999. “The Changing Politics of American Men: Understanding the Sources of the Gender Gap.” American Journal of Political Science 43(3): 864–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kellstedt, Lyman A., Green, John C., Smidt, Corwin E., and Guth, James L.. 1996. “The Puzzle of Evangelical Protestantism: Core, Periphery, and Political Behavior.” In Religion and the Culture Wars: Dispatches from the Front, eds. Kellstedt, Lyman A., Guth, James L., Green, John C., and Smidt, Corwin E.. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 240–66.Google Scholar
Kelly, Nathan J., and Morgan, Jana. 2008. “Religious Traditionalism and Latino Politics in the United States.” American Politics Research 36(2): 236–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kraybill, Jeanine E. 2016. “Non-Ordained: Examining the Level of Female Religious Political Engagement and Social Policy Influence within the American Catholic Church.” Fieldwork in Religion 11(2): 137–56. doi10.1558/firn.32964.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kreitzer, Rebecca J. 2015. “Politics and Morality in State Abortion Policy.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 15(1): 41–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krogstad, Jens Manuel, Stepler, Renee, and Lopez, Mark Hugo. 2015. “English Proficiency on the Rise Among Latinos.” Pew Hispanic Center. https://www.pewhispanic.org/2015/05/12/english-proficiency-on-the-rise-among-latinos/.Google Scholar
Lavariega Monforti, Jessica, and Michelson, Melissa R.. 2014. “Multiple Paths to Cynicism: Social Networks, Identity, and Linked Fate among Latinos.” In Latino Politics En Ciencia Política: The Search for Latino Identity and Racial Consciousness, eds. Hu-DeHart, Evelyn and Tony Affigne, Marion Orr. New York: New York University Press, 92–112.Google Scholar
Layman, Geoffrey C. 2001. The Great Divide: Religious and Cultural Conflict in American Party Politics. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Layman, Geoffrey C., and Green, John C.. 2006. “Wars and Rumours of Wars: The Contexts of Cultural Conflict in American Political Behaviour.” British Journal of Political Science 36(1): 61–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leal, David. 2010. “Religion and the Political and Civic Lives of Latinos.” In Religion and Democracy in the United States: Danger or Opportunity, eds. Wolfe, Alan and Katznelson, Ira. Princeton University Press, 308–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leege, David C., Wald, Kenneth D., and Kellstedt, Lyman A.. 1993. “The Private Dimension of Public Devotionalism.” In Rediscovering the Religious Factor in American Politics. New York: M.E. Sharpe, 235–54.Google Scholar
Lizotte, Mary-Kate. 2015. “The Abortion Attitudes Paradox: Model Specification and Gender Differences.” Journal of Women, Politics and Policy 36(1): 22–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lizotte, Mary-Kate, Carey, Tony E. Jr, and Meikle, Lori-Ann. 2017. Gender Differences in Public Opinion Among African Americans. New Orleans, LA.Google Scholar
Margolis, Michele F. 2018. From Politics to the Pews: How Partisanship and the Political Environment Shape Religious Identity. University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDaniel, Eric L., and Ellison, Christopher G.. 2008. “God's Party? Race, Religion, and Partisanship Over Time.” Political Research Quarterly 61(2): 180–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKenzie, Brian D., and Rouse, Stella M.. 2013. “Shades of Faith: Religious Foundations of Political Attitudes among African Americans, Latinos, and Whites.” American Journal of Political Science 57(1): 218–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McTague, John, and Pearson-Merkowitz, Shanna. 2013. “Voting from the Pew: The Effect of Senators’ Religious Identities on Partisan Polarization in the U.S. Senate.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 38(3): 405–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Melkonian-Hoover, Ruth M., and Kellstedt, Lyman A.. 2019. “The Evangelical Kaleidoscope: Racial/Ethnic Similarity and Difference.” In Evangelicals and Immigration. Palgrave Macmillan, 113–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ondercin, Heather L. 2017. “Who is Responsible for the Gender Gap? The Dynamics of Men's and Women's Democratic Macropartisanship, 1950–2012.” Political Research Quarterly 70(4): 749–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pacheco, Julianna, and Kreitzer, Rebecca. 2016. “Adolescent Determinants of Abortion Attitudes: Evidence from the Children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth.” Public Opinion Quarterly 80(1): 66–89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Peña, Milagros, and Frehill, Lisa M.. 1998. “Latina Religious Practice: Analyzing Cultural Dimensions in Measures of Religiosity.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 37(4): 620–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pew. 2014. Religious Landscape Study. Washington, D.C.: Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.Google Scholar
Pew Research Center. 2014. The Shifting Religious Identity of Latinos in the United States. file:///C:/Users/hsilbermohamed/Downloads/Latinos-Religion-07-22-full-report%20(1).pdf.Google Scholar
Putnam, Robert D., and Campbell, David E.. 2012. American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. New York: Simon and Schuster.Google Scholar
Sanchez, Gabriel. 2006. “The Role of Group Consciousness in Political Participation Among Latinos in the United States.” American Politics Research 34(4): 427–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sapiro, Virginia. 2003. “Theorizing Gender in Political Psychology Research.” In Oxford Handbook of Political Psychology, eds. Sears, David O., Huddy, Leonie, and Jervis, Robert. New York: Oxford University Press. http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2003-88243-018.Google Scholar
Schroedel, Jean Reith. 2000. Is the Fetus a Person? A Comparison of Policies Across the Fifty States. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Scott, Jacqueline. 1989. “Conflicting Beliefs About Abortion: Legal Approval and Moral Doubts.” Social Psychology Quarterly 52(4): 319–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scott, Jacqueline, and Schuman, Howard. 1988. “Attitude Strength and Social Action in the Abortion Dispute.” American Sociological Review 53(5): 785–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silber Mohamed, Heather. 2015. “Americana or Latina? Gender and Identity Acquisition among Hispanics in the United States.” Politics, Groups, and Identities 3(1): 40–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silber Mohamed, Heather. 2017. The New Americans?: Immigration, Protest, and the Politics of Latino Identity. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.Google Scholar
Silber Mohamed, Heather. 2018. “Embryonic Politics: Attitudes about Abortion, Stem Cell Research, and IVF.” Politics and Religion 11(3): 459–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smidt, Corwin E., Kellstedt, Lyman A., and Guth, James L.. 2009. “The Role of Religion in American Politics: Explanatory Theories and Associated Analytical and Measurement Issues.” In The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Politics, eds. Guth, James L., Kellstedt, Lyman A., and Smidt, Corwin E.. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 3–42.Google Scholar
Steensland, Brian, Robinson, Lynn D., Wilcox, W. Bradford, Park, Jerry Z., Regnerus, Mark D., and Woodberry, Robert D.. 2000. “The Measure of American Religion: Toward Improving the State of the Art.” Social Forces 79(1): 291–318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stetzer, Ed, and Burge, Ryan P.. 2016. “Reltrad Coding Problems and a New Repository.” Politics and Religion 9(1): 187–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strickler, Jennifer, and Danigelis, Nicholas. 2002. “Changing Frameworks in Attitudes toward Abortion.” Sociological Forum 17(2): 187–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tatalovich, Raymond, and Daynes, Byron W.. 2011. Moral Controversies in American Politics. New York: M.E. Sharpe.Google Scholar
Tesler, Michael. 2016. Post-Racial or Most-Racial?: Race and Politics in the Obama Era. University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Verba, Sidney, Lehman Schlozman, Kay, and Brady, Henry E.. 1995. Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics. Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Wald, Kenneth, and Calhoun-Brown, Allison. 2014. Religion and Politics in the United States. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.Google Scholar
Weaver, Christopher L. 2015. “Political and Spiritual Migration: The Adaptive Formation of Religious and Partisan Attachments among Latino Immigrants in the United States.” Politics and Religion 8(3): 488–513.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Welch, Susan. 1977. “Women as Political Animals? A Test of Some Explanations for Male-Female Political Participation Differences.” American Journal of Political Science 21(4): 711–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitehead, Andrew L. 2010. “Sacred Rites and Civil Rights: Religion's Effect on Attitudes toward Same-Sex Unions and the Perceived Cause of Homosexuality.” Social Science Quarterly 91(1): 63–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitehead, Andrew L. 2012. “Gender Ideology and Religion: Does a Masculine Image of God Matter?” Review of Religious Research 54(2): 139–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitehead, Andrew L., Perry, Samuel L., and Baker, Joseph O.. 2018. “Make America Christian Again: Christian Nationalism and Voting for Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election.” Sociology of Religion 79(2): 147–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wong, Janelle S. 2018a. Immigrants, Evangelicals, and Politics in an Era of Demographic Change. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wong, Janelle S. 2018b. “The Evangelical Vote and Race in the 2016 Presidential Election.” Journal of Race, Ethnicity and Politics 3(1): 81–106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zigerell, L. J., and Barker, David C.. 2011. “Safe, Legal, Rare … and Early: Gender and the Politics of Abortion.” Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties 21(1): 83–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Holman et al. supplementary material

Holman et al. supplementary material

Download Holman et al. supplementary material(File)
File 181.5 KB