Ministers, Feminism, and Abortion: A Causal Analysis

The attitudes of male ministers in an Eastern state are examined with respect to attitudes toward the proper roles of women, legalized abortion, and the proposed Human Life Amendment to the Constitution. Doctrinal orthodoxy is found to be the strongest predictor of attitudes toward abortion and the Human Life Amendment. However, having an employed wife has both direct and indirect effects on these attitudes, affecting abortion attitudes in a pro-choice direction. Importantly, the wife\u27s employment status is exogenous to the model, as such employment outside the home is not predicted by any religious variable