Lewis/Sects and Stats, 8. New Religious Movements and Gender

As recently as the censuses that took place in 2006, Scientology seemed to be growing in all four of the Anglophone countries that record memberships in alternative religions. I initially analyzed this growth in a piece that appeared in 2009. However, more recent data from the Australian census and from the American Religious Identification Survey indicate a downturn in Scientology’s growth while other, comparable movements continue to grow. Why? Additionally, why should more men than women join Scientology while almost every other religious group imaginable recruits more women than men?