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Social media reasons why more women than men today attend church service

Wednesday May 23 2018
church

Here are some of the explanations Ugandans gave why more women than men attend church. ILLUSTRATION | JOHN NYAGAH | NMG

By JOACHIM BUWEMBO

I have been attending church in Uganda for 50 years, first involuntarily under parental directive, then out of habit and finally out of desire like many people do after luckily living for over half of their expected lifespan.

Over the years, I have noticed a shift in the attendance demographics which are now heavily unbalanced in gender terms.

In the beginning until 1986 (like it or not, that date marks the beginning of many things in Uganda) church sitting was very clearly demarcated by gender. Half the pews were for men (and boys) while half were for women (and girls). Then the number of women coming to church started increasing while that of the men was decreasing somewhat. So the women started taking some seats — the front seats by the way — from the men’s section.

The trend continued until there was so little space being occupied by the men in their section, that the segregation was no longer necessary. The entire church sitting space is now for women, with a sprinkling of men here and there.

On Ascension Sunday, which is a mandatory day of Mass for Catholics that should have otherwise have been marked on Thursday (40 days after Easter) but is observed on Sunday to enable everybody to attend, I was struck by the absence of men and put the question why to people on social media. Here are some of the explanations Ugandans gave why more women than men attend church.

That Ugandan women have far more problems than men and so need God more. For example they get killed every other day by violent men and kidnappers and little is apparently being done to protect them.

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That the women pray for the men anyway, so there is no need for the men to go to church.

That God hears the women’s prayers more, so let them pray for “us.”

That serious men have a hangover on Sunday morning and cannot make it to church.

That men usually watch football on Saturday, and have to prepare to watch more football on Sunday, so how do you expect them to find time for church?

That women need to show off their clothes at church, otherwise why spend so much on clothes which you may not wear to work if there is no occasion to make other women envious over them?

That surely, the women should also be left to get out of the house while the men remain home keeping the home, at least once a week.

That the ongoing land inquiry commission is more harsh on female witnesses than men, citing the Queen Mother of Tooro Kingdom and the woman Lands minister herself who were grilled mercilessly.

That even in the Bible stories, there were only men in church, so by allowing the women to dominate the church service today, is in a way redressing that historical injustice. Someone added that Jesus can now feed the women alone unlike in the bible story when he fed five thousand men and the scribes who did the accountability but did not count the poor women.

That men shouldn’t go to church because they might see many women and get tempted.

I think the Uganda government was right to impose a tax on social media use.

Joachim Buwembo is a Kampala-based journalist. Email:[email protected]

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