Religiosity and Superstitious Beliefs among Women: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Religiosity and superstitious beliefs are deeply embedded within women’s socio-cultural and psychological lives, particularly in traditional and collectivistic societies. Women frequently function as custodians of religious values and ritual practices within families, positioning them centrally in the transmission of belief systems across generations. The present paper aims to critically review existing literature examining the relationship between religiosity and superstitious beliefs among women. A narrative review methodology was adopted, drawing on peer-reviewed literature published between 2000 and 2024 and retrieved from databases including Google Scholar, PsycINFO, and PubMed. Findings consistently indicate a positive association between religiosity and superstitious beliefs among women, especially in domains related to health, fertility, family welfare, and uncertainty management. Socio-demographic variables such as education, age, and cultural context were found to moderate this relationship. Importantly, the literature suggests that women’s superstitious beliefs are not merely expressions of irrationality but are culturally learned, psychologically meaningful coping mechanisms embedded within religious and social frameworks. The review highlights conceptual and methodological gaps in existing research and emphasizes the need for culturally sensitive, gender-informed psychological models and empirical investigations, particularly within non-Western contexts.