Author: Rick Phillips (University of North Florida), Ryan T. Cragun (University of Tampa), and Barry A. Kosmin (Trinity College)

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ABSTRACT

Most Christian denominations in the United States have more female than male adherents. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is no exception. However, the sex ratio imbalance within Mormonism is not uniform across the nation. The imbalance is more pronounced in Utah, a traditional Mormon stronghold and site of the church’s headquarters. In this article, we examine potential causes and consequences of the sex ratio imbalance among Utah Mormons. We argue that Mormon men in Utah are abandoning the church at higher rates than they were a decade ago, leaving a surplus of women. We show how this trend coincides with a decline in the LDS Church’s religious market share in Utah. We close by discussing the implications of our findings for the sociology of religion.