Religion and Inequality in America
Research and Theory on Religion's Role in Stratification

Examines how social inequality is affected by religious beliefs and affiliation, with contributions in the fields of religion and sociology.

Lisa A. Keister (Edited by), Darren E. Sherkat (Edited by)

9781107027558, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 10 July 2014

380 pages, 53 b/w illus. 41 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.68 kg

'Religion and Inequality in America stands out from so many others in the depth, rigor, and quality of its contributions. The authors are able to maintain this high standard even while addressing an unusually wide range of cutting-edge issues in the field, greatly expanding our knowledge of processes related to life course, family, ethnicity, and health that explain the relationship between religion and stratification. Each chapter not only provides solid and trustworthy research findings but is also strengthened by active and creative engagement of the theoretical issues at stake. This will be the most cited volume on religion and inequality in two decades - and deservedly so.' David Sikkink, University of Notre Dame

Despite the growing quantity and quality of research connecting religion to inequality, no single volume to date brings together key figures to discuss various components of this process. This volume aims to fill this gap with contributions from top scholars in the fields of religion and sociology. The essays in this volume provide important new details about how and why religion and inequality are related by focusing on new indicators of inequality and well-being, combining and studying mediating factors in new and informative ways, focusing on critical and often understudied groups, and exploring the changing relationship between religion and inequality over time.

Foreword N. J. Demerath
Introduction Lisa A. Keister and Darren E. Sherkat
Part I. Education: 1. Nonaffiliation and socioeconomic status: differences in education and income between atheists and agnostics and 'nothing in particulars' Rebekah Peeples Massengill
2. Religion, gender, and educational attainment among US immigrants: evidence from the new immigrant survey Nadia Amin and Darren E. Sherkat
3. Intersectionality and identity: an exploration of Arab-American women Jen'nan Ghazal Read and David Eagle
Part II. Income, Wealth, and the Labor Market: 4. Conservative protestantism, normative pathways, and adult attainment Scott T. Fitzgerald and Jennifer L. Glass
5. Religion and wealth mobility: the case of American Latinos Lisa A. Keister and E. Paige Borelli
6. The labor market behavior of married women with young children in the US: have differences by religion disappeared? Evelyn L. Lehrer and Yu Chen
Part III. Attitudes, Cultural Capital, and Power: 7. Religion and gender inequality: from attitudes to practices John P. Bartkowski and Sarah Shah
8. Religious stratification and social reproduction Ralph E. Pyle and James D. Davidson
9. God in the corner office? How religion advances and inhibits professional mobility in the higher circles D. Michael Lindsay
10. The religious affiliations of ivy league presidents 1636–2012 Deborah L. Coe and James D. Davidson
Part IV. Health and Well-being: 11. The association between religiousness and psychological well-being among older adults: is there an educational gradient? Christopher G. Ellison, Scott H. Schieman and Matt Bradshaw
12. Does believing or belonging have a greater protective effect on stressful life events among young adults? Margarita Mooney, Lin Wang, Jason Freeman and Matt Bradshaw
13. Faith, jobs, money, and happiness during the great recession, 2006–10 Michael Hout and Orestes P. Hastings
Part V. Inequality and Religion: 14. Reversing the arrow? Economic inequality's effect on religiosity Frederick Solt.

Subject Areas: Sociology [JHB], Religion & beliefs [HR]