Gender and Marital Decision Making: Negotiating Religious Ideology and Practice

Abstract

This article uses quantitative data from the 1996 Religious Identity and Influence Survey to examine the relationship between religious identity, gender ideology, and marital decision making. The focus is on variation across religious groups in beliefs about the husbandas the headof thefamily and reported patterns of maritaldecision making. While conservative Protestants espouse a traditional gender-role ideology, their marital decision-making practices are not significantly differentfrom those of otherreligious groups. On the otherhand, theologically liberal Protestants have more egalitarian ideology while reporting decision-making practices that are not significantly more egalitarian than those of conservative Protestants. The findings suggest that ideology should not be equated with practice without taking into consideration the broader contextand subcultural meanings of the beliefs in question.For decades in America, the traditional family has been closely associated with religious influences. At the end of the 1950s, married couples with children made up nearly half the American population. During this time church membership grew rapidly, and churches responded by emphasizing "traditional nuclear families," a response that continues to reinforce the relationship between religion and family life today (Marler 1995). Traditional ideals about family life and gender roles have many of their roots in religion, and there is much literature on the influence of religious beliefs on family values and patterns. Recent decades, however, have seen shifts in family structure, with the acknowledgment of nontraditional family forms becoming more common. Along with this shift in family demographics have come changing cultural expectations of families. Scholars are increasingly turning their attention to the changing relationship between family life and religion. Many churches continue to cater to the traditional family model and exert an influence over the beliefs and practices in the family life of their members. However, there are also recent moves within religious communities to recognize changes in family structure and the accompanying changes in ideologies and expectations about family life.The historical link between religious beliefs and family life has played out in several areas. Past research has documented religious influences on family life in marriage and divorce rates, fertility rates, parenting, labor force participation, household labor, and many others (Call

Religion and Gender Ideologies among Working-Age U.S. Latinas/os

“…Attitudinal support for male headship of the family is a method that conservative Protestants employ for symbolically distinguishing themselves from the cultural mainstream. However, because attitudinal support for husband headship is largely symbolic, it quickly gives way to (more) egalitarian convictions and practices related to other forms of gender (Denton 2004;Gallagher and Smith 1999). For this reason, we see few significant effects with respect to domesticity and child-rearing.…”

“…At the same time, we are not suggesting that the actual practice of patriarchy in conservative Protestant Latina/o families follows these attitudinal differences in a lockstep fashion. As noted, white conservative Protestants often symbolically embrace the language of headship while practicing relatively egalitarian decision-making (Denton 2004;Gallagher and Smith 1999). More research is clearly needed to determine if this paradox holds among Latina/o conservative Protestants.…”

“…Additional quantitative scholarship could explore the magnitude of any distinctions in the practice of gender within Latina/o Catholic households versus Latina/o conservative Protestant families, particularly given prior survey research that demonstrates how symbolic leadership does not always support distinctive gender behaviors (Denton 2004). At the same time, qualitative research could examine if gender negotiations are different in such families than in white conservative Protestant homes (Bartkowski 2001).…”

“…Many denominations (primarily fundamentalist, evangelical, or charismatic Protestant) that endorse biblical literalism or inerrancy are the same ones that have maintained patriarchal organizational structures that deny women opportunities for formal leadership (Hoffmann and Bartkowski 2008). Researchers have identified strategies used by women to negotiate status in these groups (Bartkowski 2001;Denton 2004) in addition to empowerment resources like women's groups (e.g., (Brasher 1997;Griffith 2000)). Although these issues remain understudied among Latinas/os, one study links biblical literalism with support for male headship within the home (Ellison et al 2013).…”

Women’s Autonomy in Ghana: Does Religion Matter?

“…Traditional ideals about gender roles have many roots in religion, which influences family values and patterns (Denton 2004 (Bartkowski and Read 2003).…”