Abstract
A growing body of recent research has examined the contours of evangelical Protestant family discourse and household relations. However, little attention has been paid to the dynamics of domestic labor—i.e., the allocation of household chores, financial provision, and dependent care—within actual evangelical homes. Building on insights from gender theory and theories of family power, I examine how discourses of domestic labor are negotiated via ongoing gender strategies within several evangelical families at a large conservative Protestant church in Texas. To this end, I present case study data drawn from three families that currently wrestle with different types of domestic labor concerns. These case studies, which are complemented by analyses of in-depth interview and primary survey data collected from twenty-three families, enable me to trace the emergence, the negotiation, and (at times) the resolution of thorny domestic labor issues among these spouses. Taken together, gender relations within these families combine elements of progressive and traditional practices. These findings underscore the importance of conceiving gender and domestic labor as a product of interpersonal negotiation while at the same time highlighting how gender relations are mediated by cultural forces such as conservative religious ideologies.
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An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 1998 meetings of the Southern Sociological Society, Atlanta, GA. I am indebted to Robert Fernea, Norval Glenn, Kristi Hoffman, Debra Umberson, and especially to both Christopher Ellison and Christine Williams, for their comments on this research. This study was funded by generous grants from the Louisville Institute and the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a small research award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.
Much of his research to date has examined various dimensions of evangelical family life, including spousal and parent-child relations. His completed book manuscript on the discourse and practice of gender within evangelical households is currently being revised for publication. He has also published several articles examining gender identity negotiation amon gthe Promise Keepers. Bartkowski's current research explores the feasibility of implementing faith-based welfare reform initiatives in the rural South. His work has appeared in Social Forces, Social Science Quarterly, Journal of Family Issues, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, The Responsive Community, Sociology of Religion, as well as other scholarly journals and edited volumes.
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Bartkowski, J.P. One step forward, one step back: “Progressive traditionalism” and the negotiation of domestic labor in evangelical families. Gend. Issues 17, 37–61 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-998-0003-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-998-0003-3