The religiosity of mothers and their offspring as related to the offspring's sex and sexual orientation.

This study sought to determine the nature and extent of the relationship between the religiosity of mothers and their offspring, taking both the sex and the sexual orientation of the offspring into account. Religiosity was measured in terms of both intensity (importance of religion, frequency of church attendance) and denominational preference. Female offspring were found to be more religious than male offspring, and their religiosity tended to more closely resemble that of their mothers than did the religiosity of males. Offspring of both sexes who were not exclusively heterosexual in orientation tended to be less religious and less likely to emulate their mother's religiosity as compared to exclusively heterosexual offspring.