| Abstract
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Is religious development of women basically different from that of men? That is the central question discussed in this paper. From the theoretical literature and empirical research reports one could get a sense that women are more given to connected knowing and close relationships, also with God, than men. A detailed comparison of Fowler, Oser and Gmünder, and Teresa of Avila yields certain differences, which could possibly support the hypothesized difference, yet more research is needed. A tentative conclusion is as follows: Women may have contributed more to the understanding of connectedness and close relationships with God than men, but men can also live closely connected and God-related lives. Is religious development of women basically different from that of men? That is the central question discussed in this paper. From the theoretical literature and empirical research reports one could get a sense that women are more given to connected knowing and close relationships, also with God, than men. A detailed comparison of Fowler, Oser and Gmünder, and Teresa of Avila yields certain differences, which could possibly support the hypothesized difference, yet more research is needed. A tentative conclusion is as follows: Women may have contributed more to the understanding of connectedness and close relationships with God than men, but men can also live closely connected and God-related lives.
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