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Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName BRIDGEWAY FUNDS INC
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Oct. 31, 2015
Aggressive Investors 1 Fund  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading FUND SUMMARY: AGGRESSIVE INVESTORS 1 FUND
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective:
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock The Aggressive Investors 1 Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to exceed the stock market total return (primarily through capital appreciation) at a level of total risk roughly equal to that of the stock market over longer periods of time (three year intervals or more).
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses of the Fund:
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.
Shareholder Fees Caption [Text] rr_ShareholderFeesCaption Shareholder Fees (paid directly from your investment)
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio Turnover:
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 107% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 107.00%
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example:
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies:
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock The Fund invests in a diversified portfolio of common stocks of companies of any size that are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT and NASDAQ. Bridgeway Capital Management, Inc. (the “Adviser”) selects stocks for the Fund using a statistically driven approach. The Fund seeks to achieve the risk objective by investing in stocks that the Adviser believes have a lower probability of price decline over the long term, though the stock price may be more volatile in the short term. The Fund may invest in stocks for which there is relatively low market liquidity, as periodically determined by the Adviser based on the stock’s trading volume. The Fund may also use aggressive investment techniques such as:
  • leveraging (borrowing up to 50% of its net assets from banks),
  • purchasing and selling futures and options on individual stocks and stock market indexes to increase or decrease the Fund’s exposure to stock market risk in order to attempt to maintain a more constant level of risk,
  • purchasing and selling financial or commodity futures and options to diversify risk,
  • entering into short-sale transactions (up to 20% of its total assets),
  • investing up to 20% of its total assets in a single company,
  • investing up to 15% of its total assets in foreign securities (as defined below), and
  • short-term trading (buying and selling the same security in less than a three-month timeframe).
For purposes of the Fund’s investments, “foreign securities” means those securities issued by companies: (i) that are domiciled in a country other than the U.S.; and (ii) that derive 50% or more of their total revenue from activities outside of the U.S.

Although the Fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, based on economic conditions, the Fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

The Fund sometimes invests in a smaller number of companies than other mutual funds.

The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks:
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock Shareholders of the Fund are exposed to higher risk than the stock market as a whole and could lose money.

Since the Fund invests in companies of any size and because there are a larger number of small and less liquid companies that the Fund could invest in, the Fund may bear the short-term risk (volatility) associated with small companies, especially in the early stages of an economic or stock market downturn.

The Fund may also exhibit higher volatility due to the use of aggressive investment techniques including futures, options, and leverage. Futures and options may not always be successful hedges, and their prices can be highly volatile. They may not always successfully manage risk. Using futures and options could lower a Fund’s total return, and the potential loss from the use of futures can exceed a Fund’s initial investment in such contracts. Leverage created from borrowing may impair the Fund’s liquidity, cause it to liquidate positions at an unfavorable time, increase volatility or otherwise not achieve its intended objective.

Investments in foreign securities can be more volatile than investments in U.S. securities.

Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. As the Adviser allocates more of the Fund’s portfolio holdings to a particular sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic, business or other developments which generally affect that sector.

Individual short-sale positions can theoretically expose the Fund to unlimited loss on such positions, although the Adviser seeks to mitigate this potential loss by limiting a single short-sale position to 2.5% of the Fund’s net assets at the time of opening the position.

A higher portfolio turnover rate increases transaction costs and as a result may adversely impact the Fund’s performance and may increase share price volatility. Moreover, a higher portfolio turnover rate may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account.

The Fund may invest in a small number of companies, which will likely add to Fund volatility.

The Adviser uses statistical analyses and models to select investments for the Fund. Any imperfections, errors or limitations in the models or analyses and therefore any decisions made in reliance on such models or analyses could expose the Fund to potential risks. In addition, the models used by the Adviser assume that certain historical statistical relationships will continue. These models are constructed based on historical data supplied by third parties and, as a result, the success of relying on such models may depend heavily on the accuracy and reliability of the supplied historical data.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney Shareholders of the Fund are exposed to higher risk than the stock market as a whole and could lose money.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance:
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with the S&P 500® Index, which is an unmanaged, market value weighted index that measures the performance of 500 large companies and is considered a broad measure of market performance. In addition, the Fund’s performance is compared to the Russell 2000® Index, an unmanaged, market value weighted index that measures the performance of the 2,000 companies that are between the 1,000th and 3,000th largest in the market with dividends reinvested. This information is based on past performance. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.bridgeway.com or by calling 800-661-3550.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied on a calendar year basis. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for various periods compare with the S&P 500® Index, which is an unmanaged, market value weighted index that measures the performance of 500 large companies and is considered a broad measure of market performance.
Performance Additional Market Index [Text] rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex In addition, the Fund’s performance is compared to the Russell 2000® Index, an unmanaged, market value weighted index that measures the performance of the 2,000 companies that are between the 1,000th and 3,000th largest in the market with dividends reinvested.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone 800-661-3550
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.bridgeway.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture Past performance (before and after taxes) does not guarantee future results.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading Aggressive Investors 1 Fund
Year by Year % Returns as of 12/31 of Each Year
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock
Return from 1/1/15 through 9/30/15 was -11.21%.
                 
       Quarter      Total
Return 		 
Best Quarter:
     Q4 10         14.79%   
Worst Quarter:
     Q4 08         -32.80%   
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended 12/31/14)
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.
Aggressive Investors 1 Fund | Class N  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther none
Redemption Fees rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Exchange Fees rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption none
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 1.08%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.24%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.32%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 134
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 418
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 723
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 1,590
2005 rr_AnnualReturn2005 14.93%
2006 rr_AnnualReturn2006 7.11%
2007 rr_AnnualReturn2007 25.80%
2008 rr_AnnualReturn2008 (56.16%)
2009 rr_AnnualReturn2009 23.98%
2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 17.82%
2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 (10.31%)
2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 21.58%
2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 42.21%
2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 14.99%
Year to Date Return, Label rr_YearToDateReturnLabel Return from 1/1/15 through 9/30/15
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate Sep. 30, 2015
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn (11.21%)
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best Quarter:
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2010
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 14.79%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst Quarter:
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (32.80%)
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 14.99%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 16.00%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 5.86%
Aggressive Investors 1 Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Class N  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 14.93% [1]
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.58% [1]
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 5.05% [1]
Aggressive Investors 1 Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class N  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 8.53% [1]
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 12.82% [1]
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.79% [1]
Aggressive Investors 1 Fund | S&P 500® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.69%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.45%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.67%
Aggressive Investors 1 Fund | Russell 2000® Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.89%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.55%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.77%
[1] After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement plans.