Astrology, Religion, Occultism, and Gender
What does it mean that so many millennials grew up checking daily horoscope readings on Cosmopolitan, scrolling through zodiac memes on social media, or turning to astrology apps for guidance long before they ever stepped inside a religious institution? For a generation shaped by digital culture, economic precarity, and continuous exposure to global crises, astrology has become more than a source of entertainment—it has emerged as an accessible framework for understanding identity, relationships, and emotional uncertainty. Rather than representing a simple resurgence of superstition, the popularity of astrology reflects deeper social and psychological conditions: rising millennial anxiety, the decline of organized religion, and the need for symbolic systems that provide coherence in unstable times. This appeal has been especially pronounced among women, whose experiences of socialization, vulnerability, and targeted marketing shape how astrology is consumed and understood. Together, these forces illuminate why astrology has become a meaningful, culturally significant practice for millennials navigating a rapidly shifting world.
Millennials experience higher levels of anxiety than any previous generation, a pattern influenced by economic instability, rising student debt, climate precarity, and constant exposure to digital information flows. The American Psychological Association reports that 12% of millennials have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, and 86% believe they are undergoing a “quarter-life crisis.” The emergence of social media during millennials’ formative years further intensified pressures surrounding self-presentation, comparison, and social belonging. Platforms like Instagram encourage the curation of success and happiness, yet often produce feelings of inadequacy and emotional exhaustion.
In a cultural environment marked by job insecurity, isolation, and perpetual crisis cycles, many millennials have turned toward practices that offer emotional reassurance, identity coherence, and symbolic explanations for uncertainty. Astrology, with its promise of validation and quick interpretive frameworks, has become a prominent form of spiritual and psychological support. Under pandemic lockdowns, searches for “birth chart” and “astrology” reached five-year peaks, and professional astrologers reported unprecedented growth in clientele. TikTok accelerated this rise by introducing a new generation to zodiac language through viral memes, personality labels, and influencer-driven content.
Astrology’s appeal lies not merely in entertainment value but in its ability to generate immediate comprehension of emotional states that might otherwise feel chaotic. Unlike therapy, which requires time, vulnerability, and financial resources, astrology provides rapid symbolic frameworks for processing identity, relational dynamics, and uncertainty—often at no cost.
The rise of astrology is also tied to a broader shift away from traditional religious structures. Confidence in organized religion fell from 68% in 1975 to 36% in 2019, reflecting a nationwide reconfiguration of spiritual life. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 60% of American millennials believe in New Age concepts such as astrology, energy work, or reincarnation, while far fewer report consistent religious affiliation.
Although this decline occurs across genders, studies consistently show that women remain more religiously affiliated than men. Pew data indicates that women pray more frequently, believe in God with greater certainty, and report higher levels of religious participation. These differences, while not extreme, are stable and empirically significant. As organized religion loses cultural authority, many women seek spiritual or interpretive systems that offer emotional grounding without the institutional structures of traditional faith. Astrology, with its accessible language and emphasis on personal meaning, fills this gap.
Gendered socialization plays a major role in shaping spiritual receptivity. Psychological research shows that women are statistically more likely to exhibit an external locus of control—the belief that life events are influenced by outside forces—while men are more likely to exhibit an internal locus of control. This pattern reflects structural realities: in many societies, men hold greater economic, political, and social power, affording them a stronger sense of agency. Women, who often face heightened vulnerability and structural constraints, may find symbolic systems appealing when those systems offer clarity, comfort, or a sense of coherence in circumstances where control is limited.
Mashable summarizes this dynamic clearly: “Like with religion, women subscribe to astrology more because of an external locus of control” (Desta). The attraction is not rooted in naivety but in the practical psychological function astrology serves for individuals navigating complex social and emotional landscapes. Historically, gender has also shaped who practices and interprets astrology. Although early astrology in Babylon was practiced primarily by educated men for agricultural and political purposes, the modern popularization of astrology—especially in media—has been largely driven by women and femme practitioners. As a result, contemporary astrology is frequently marketed toward women, reinforcing a gendered feedback loop: women are the primary audience, so astrology is packaged in ways that speak to women’s presumed interests and emotional needs.
The commercialization of astrology reflects the larger dynamics of the wellness and mysticism industries. Women make up the majority of consumers interested in “mystical services,” and women are twice as likely as men to visit psychics or healers. Astrology sections in magazines—from Cosmopolitan to Elle—are targeted almost exclusively at young women, often appearing in the “Women’s Voices” sections of otherwise gender-neutral platforms.
This targeting raises questions about how spiritual practices are commodified. More than 15 million women subscribe to Cosmopolitan, and while motivations vary, astrology remains a staple feature of women’s magazines. The astrology industry—worth $2.2 billion in 2021—grew by 64% in 2019 alone, driven largely by app subscriptions, digital horoscopes, and personalized readings (Kaplan & Sternberg). The commercialization of astrology blends emotional support with consumer desire, creating a product that is marketed not only as spiritual insight but also as self-improvement, entertainment, and identity formation.
Astrology’s commodification is particularly effective because it engages psychological mechanisms like the Barnum Effect—people’s tendency to accept broad or ambiguous statements as personally meaningful. When horoscopes offer generalized predictions (“You will soon experience positive change”), they resonate because individuals map the statement onto their lived experience.
The psychological legitimacy of astrology has been debated for decades, but Carl Jung offers one of the most influential interpretations. Jung saw astrology not as an empirical science but as a symbolic system that mirrors the psyche. The birth chart, for Jung, represents archetypal patterns within the collective unconscious rather than literal planetary causation. He described astrology as “the sum of all the psychological knowledge of antiquity,” arguing that its symbolic logic reveals underlying structures of meaning, personality, and emotional life.
Jung’s concept of synchronicity—the meaningful coincidence of inner and outer events—further explains astrology’s appeal. According to Jung, synchronicity reflects an acausal connecting principle that allows symbolic systems like astrology to structure experience. In this framework, horoscopes resonate not because planets exert physical influence but because archetypal patterns provide interpretive coherence at moments of uncertainty.
Physiological research on the brain supports the idea that humans are predisposed to creating patterns between internal and external stimuli. Synchronistic interpretation arises from this cognitive architecture, making astrology a psychologically accessible mode of understanding personal experiences.
Theodor Adorno offers a contrasting interpretation of astrology’s cultural role. For Adorno, occultism—astrology included—is a “regression in consciousness,” emerging when rational structures fail to explain social reality. As monotheistic religion loses cultural authority, individuals may adopt symbolic systems that promise meaning without demanding rational justification. Adorno also draws parallels between occultism and capitalism. He argues that occult practices reflect the logic of commodity fetishism: just as labor becomes reified in objects, spiritual meaning becomes reified in commodities such as horoscopes, readings, or astrology apps. Under this model, astrology functions as a purchasable form of reassurance, providing emotional comfort in exchange for money. To Adorno, the very structure of the wellness industry demonstrates that astrology is intertwined with capitalist production, designed to generate profit by offering symbolic clarity to anxious consumers.
Although insightful, Adorno’s critique overlooks the gendered dimensions of consumption. He does not consider how capitalism markets spirituality differently to women and men, nor does he account for the historical association between women and alternative spiritual practices—especially those labeled “occult” or “witchy.” The marginalization of women in public, political, and economic spheres has historically shaped their relationship to non-institutional forms of spiritual authority.
The gendered history of occultism further contextualizes women’s modern engagement with astrology. In many societies, women lacked formal power yet held domestic, relational, or healing authority. When misfortune or conflict arose, women who fell outside social norms—widows, older women, the impoverished, or those perceived as eccentric—were disproportionately labeled as witches. Accusations often reflected social tensions, economic vulnerability, and patriarchal anxieties rather than actual belief in supernatural harm.
Possession phenomena, often labeled as “hysteria,” similarly reflected gendered power imbalances. In certain communities, possession granted marginalized women temporary authority, additional resources, or symbolic expression of grievances. These dynamics illustrate how spiritual or occult frameworks have historically intersected with gendered experiences of power, constraint, and agency.
Astrology’s contemporary resurgence is neither trivial nor inexplicable. It reflects a convergence of millennial anxiety, digital culture, declining religious authority, gendered social experiences, and the commercial structure of the wellness industry. For many individuals—particularly women—astrology provides a symbolic language through which to navigate uncertainty, articulate emotional states, and seek meaning within conditions marked by instability and limited institutional support.
While critics like Adorno highlight the commodification of spirituality in late capitalism, and psychologists debate astrology’s epistemic validity, astrology’s endurance reveals its significance as a cultural tool rather than a scientific claim. Its appeal lies not in empirical proof but in its capacity to offer coherence, comfort, and self-understanding at moments when traditional structures fall short.
Understanding astrology through sociological, psychological, and gendered frameworks allows for a more nuanced appreciation of why it resonates so strongly today—and why it remains a powerful, if contested, site of modern meaning-making.
Millennials experience higher levels of anxiety than any previous generation, a pattern influenced by economic instability, rising student debt, climate precarity, and constant exposure to digital information flows. The American Psychological Association reports that 12% of millennials have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, and 86% believe they are undergoing a “quarter-life crisis.” The emergence of social media during millennials’ formative years further intensified pressures surrounding self-presentation, comparison, and social belonging. Platforms like Instagram encourage the curation of success and happiness, yet often produce feelings of inadequacy and emotional exhaustion.
In a cultural environment marked by job insecurity, isolation, and perpetual crisis cycles, many millennials have turned toward practices that offer emotional reassurance, identity coherence, and symbolic explanations for uncertainty. Astrology, with its promise of validation and quick interpretive frameworks, has become a prominent form of spiritual and psychological support. Under pandemic lockdowns, searches for “birth chart” and “astrology” reached five-year peaks, and professional astrologers reported unprecedented growth in clientele. TikTok accelerated this rise by introducing a new generation to zodiac language through viral memes, personality labels, and influencer-driven content.
Astrology’s appeal lies not merely in entertainment value but in its ability to generate immediate comprehension of emotional states that might otherwise feel chaotic. Unlike therapy, which requires time, vulnerability, and financial resources, astrology provides rapid symbolic frameworks for processing identity, relational dynamics, and uncertainty—often at no cost.
The rise of astrology is also tied to a broader shift away from traditional religious structures. Confidence in organized religion fell from 68% in 1975 to 36% in 2019, reflecting a nationwide reconfiguration of spiritual life. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 60% of American millennials believe in New Age concepts such as astrology, energy work, or reincarnation, while far fewer report consistent religious affiliation.
Although this decline occurs across genders, studies consistently show that women remain more religiously affiliated than men. Pew data indicates that women pray more frequently, believe in God with greater certainty, and report higher levels of religious participation. These differences, while not extreme, are stable and empirically significant. As organized religion loses cultural authority, many women seek spiritual or interpretive systems that offer emotional grounding without the institutional structures of traditional faith. Astrology, with its accessible language and emphasis on personal meaning, fills this gap.
Gendered socialization plays a major role in shaping spiritual receptivity. Psychological research shows that women are statistically more likely to exhibit an external locus of control—the belief that life events are influenced by outside forces—while men are more likely to exhibit an internal locus of control. This pattern reflects structural realities: in many societies, men hold greater economic, political, and social power, affording them a stronger sense of agency. Women, who often face heightened vulnerability and structural constraints, may find symbolic systems appealing when those systems offer clarity, comfort, or a sense of coherence in circumstances where control is limited.
Mashable summarizes this dynamic clearly: “Like with religion, women subscribe to astrology more because of an external locus of control” (Desta). The attraction is not rooted in naivety but in the practical psychological function astrology serves for individuals navigating complex social and emotional landscapes. Historically, gender has also shaped who practices and interprets astrology. Although early astrology in Babylon was practiced primarily by educated men for agricultural and political purposes, the modern popularization of astrology—especially in media—has been largely driven by women and femme practitioners. As a result, contemporary astrology is frequently marketed toward women, reinforcing a gendered feedback loop: women are the primary audience, so astrology is packaged in ways that speak to women’s presumed interests and emotional needs.
The commercialization of astrology reflects the larger dynamics of the wellness and mysticism industries. Women make up the majority of consumers interested in “mystical services,” and women are twice as likely as men to visit psychics or healers. Astrology sections in magazines—from Cosmopolitan to Elle—are targeted almost exclusively at young women, often appearing in the “Women’s Voices” sections of otherwise gender-neutral platforms.
This targeting raises questions about how spiritual practices are commodified. More than 15 million women subscribe to Cosmopolitan, and while motivations vary, astrology remains a staple feature of women’s magazines. The astrology industry—worth $2.2 billion in 2021—grew by 64% in 2019 alone, driven largely by app subscriptions, digital horoscopes, and personalized readings (Kaplan & Sternberg). The commercialization of astrology blends emotional support with consumer desire, creating a product that is marketed not only as spiritual insight but also as self-improvement, entertainment, and identity formation.
Astrology’s commodification is particularly effective because it engages psychological mechanisms like the Barnum Effect—people’s tendency to accept broad or ambiguous statements as personally meaningful. When horoscopes offer generalized predictions (“You will soon experience positive change”), they resonate because individuals map the statement onto their lived experience.
The psychological legitimacy of astrology has been debated for decades, but Carl Jung offers one of the most influential interpretations. Jung saw astrology not as an empirical science but as a symbolic system that mirrors the psyche. The birth chart, for Jung, represents archetypal patterns within the collective unconscious rather than literal planetary causation. He described astrology as “the sum of all the psychological knowledge of antiquity,” arguing that its symbolic logic reveals underlying structures of meaning, personality, and emotional life.
Jung’s concept of synchronicity—the meaningful coincidence of inner and outer events—further explains astrology’s appeal. According to Jung, synchronicity reflects an acausal connecting principle that allows symbolic systems like astrology to structure experience. In this framework, horoscopes resonate not because planets exert physical influence but because archetypal patterns provide interpretive coherence at moments of uncertainty.
Physiological research on the brain supports the idea that humans are predisposed to creating patterns between internal and external stimuli. Synchronistic interpretation arises from this cognitive architecture, making astrology a psychologically accessible mode of understanding personal experiences.
Theodor Adorno offers a contrasting interpretation of astrology’s cultural role. For Adorno, occultism—astrology included—is a “regression in consciousness,” emerging when rational structures fail to explain social reality. As monotheistic religion loses cultural authority, individuals may adopt symbolic systems that promise meaning without demanding rational justification. Adorno also draws parallels between occultism and capitalism. He argues that occult practices reflect the logic of commodity fetishism: just as labor becomes reified in objects, spiritual meaning becomes reified in commodities such as horoscopes, readings, or astrology apps. Under this model, astrology functions as a purchasable form of reassurance, providing emotional comfort in exchange for money. To Adorno, the very structure of the wellness industry demonstrates that astrology is intertwined with capitalist production, designed to generate profit by offering symbolic clarity to anxious consumers.
Although insightful, Adorno’s critique overlooks the gendered dimensions of consumption. He does not consider how capitalism markets spirituality differently to women and men, nor does he account for the historical association between women and alternative spiritual practices—especially those labeled “occult” or “witchy.” The marginalization of women in public, political, and economic spheres has historically shaped their relationship to non-institutional forms of spiritual authority.
The gendered history of occultism further contextualizes women’s modern engagement with astrology. In many societies, women lacked formal power yet held domestic, relational, or healing authority. When misfortune or conflict arose, women who fell outside social norms—widows, older women, the impoverished, or those perceived as eccentric—were disproportionately labeled as witches. Accusations often reflected social tensions, economic vulnerability, and patriarchal anxieties rather than actual belief in supernatural harm.
Possession phenomena, often labeled as “hysteria,” similarly reflected gendered power imbalances. In certain communities, possession granted marginalized women temporary authority, additional resources, or symbolic expression of grievances. These dynamics illustrate how spiritual or occult frameworks have historically intersected with gendered experiences of power, constraint, and agency.
Astrology’s contemporary resurgence is neither trivial nor inexplicable. It reflects a convergence of millennial anxiety, digital culture, declining religious authority, gendered social experiences, and the commercial structure of the wellness industry. For many individuals—particularly women—astrology provides a symbolic language through which to navigate uncertainty, articulate emotional states, and seek meaning within conditions marked by instability and limited institutional support.
While critics like Adorno highlight the commodification of spirituality in late capitalism, and psychologists debate astrology’s epistemic validity, astrology’s endurance reveals its significance as a cultural tool rather than a scientific claim. Its appeal lies not in empirical proof but in its capacity to offer coherence, comfort, and self-understanding at moments when traditional structures fall short.
Understanding astrology through sociological, psychological, and gendered frameworks allows for a more nuanced appreciation of why it resonates so strongly today—and why it remains a powerful, if contested, site of modern meaning-making.
Bibliography
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Smallwood, Christine, et al. “Astrology in the Age of Uncertainty.” The New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2019, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/10/28/astrology-in-the-age-of-uncertainty.
Zuckerman , Phil. “Why Are Women More Religious Than Men?” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 26 Sept. 2014, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-secular-life/201409/why-are-women-more-religious-men.
Nederman, Cary J., and James Wray Goulding. “Popular Occultism and Critical Social Theory: Exploring Some Themes in Adorno's Critique of Astrology and the Occult.” Sociological Analysis, vol. 42, no. 4, 1981, pp. 325–332. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3711544. Accessed 10 June 2021.