One of the most replicated findings in the sociology of religion is that women are more religious than men across Western societies. At the same time, Australia has experienced substantial generational change in both religion and politics, with younger cohorts becoming less religious overall and women moving further towards progressive politics than men. This paper examines whether these intersecting trends have reshaped the long-standing relationship between gender and religiosity. Using Australian Election Study time-series data (1967–2025) and multiple regression analysis, it investigates the intersection of generation, gender, religion, and political ideology. The analysis identifies a striking cohort reversal. While women remain more religious than men among older generations, Gen Z is the first cohort in which young men are more likely than young women to identify as religious. This reversal is strongest among respondents with conservative political attitudes, while female religiosity continues to decline across successive generations as younger women leave religion at a faster rate. Also, the gender gap in religious attendance in Gen Z is driven more by female disengagement from religion than by male religiosity. The findings suggest that religion is becoming an increasingly salient cultural identity in an era of widening ideological polarisation, with implications for understanding the political behaviour, social identities, and civic engagement of younger generations.
