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Original poster

Is woo belief more prevalent among women?

106 replies

CrotchMaven · 05/06/2014 23:55

Ya know, faeries, ghosts, feathers and inner essence, soul stuff.

And, if so, is that a STEM problem?

And are woo-men (hahaha) more interested in in hard-core conspiracy theory, libertarianism rocks, government is evil, battle of the cocks stuff?

Or have I been reading too much weird stuff on the net, extrapolating and should go to bed?

And whither, witches. I love witches threads. Am I being witch - finder on woo-ers, of whatever genitalia/born-chromosome configuration?

OP posts:
AskBasil · 06/06/2014 08:39

Well if you count patriarchal religion as woo, men look quite as prone to it as women.

Although I suspect historically (and now) they haven't really believed it, they just used it to keep women in their place.

meditrina · 06/06/2014 07:26

I agree with CotedAzur, but with a caveat that I think it has changed (and no doubt will continue to change).

The old folk remedies (many of which worked) were the traditional wisdom on women. The shifts in medicine with industrialisation and urbanisation moved away from this lore, and then further scientific developments changed the nature of both medicine and nursing. This set up a dichotomy, which the terminology "complementary" medicine has done little to assuage.

And of course companies realised there was money to be made in all this (really got going late 20th century) and it was all over features/lifestyle mags (primarily aimed at women) to promote sales. Aromatherapy was 'big' then, so had added appeal of "smells nice" (a marketing angle primarily used to appeal to women). It reinforced marketing stereotypes (which are now highly pervasive generally).

I think conspiracy theories (and the higher echelons of cults and eccentric religions) tend to be men.

CoteDAzur · 06/06/2014 07:11

Yes, women are more woo-prone.

Men are more conspiracy-prone, ime.

JapaneseMargaret · 06/06/2014 07:08

Thinking about it, yes, it is. I wonder why that is.

I don't know any men into angel readings and tarot cards, and other general woo-ness. I don't know many women either, but the people who are into it, are women.

TheSameBoat · 06/06/2014 07:04

I wish I had an answer for you OP, but I don't know what woo stands for!

almondcakes · 06/06/2014 00:28

My personal experience would be yes, on both the alternative beliefs you gave and in orgsnised religion.