Evangelical gender roles complex

Describe the roles of husband and wife in conservative, evangelical families, and you may use phrases such as 'breadwinner,' 'helpmate,' or 'stay-at-home mom.' But the visions of June and Ward Cleaver aren't exactly correct, a Mississippi State sociology professor says.

John Bartkowski, who researches issues in family, gender and religion, says that gender roles within conservative families are more dynamic and complex than stereotypes suggest.

He has written extensively about gender roles and recently completed a book manuscript titled "Remaking the Godly Marriage: The Discourse and Negotiation of Gender Relations in Evangelical Families." Currently under review at Cambridge University Press, it builds on research he conducted for a doctoral thesis at the University of Texas.

Originally interested in parent-child relationships in conservative families, he soon focused his research on the ways that husbands and wives define their roles. In field work in Texas, he spent time with and interviewed evangelical families.

His research suggests that "evangelicals are negotiating an uneasy relationship with American culture," he says.

Even in families in which both husband and wife say they follow traditional roles, Bartkowski discovered realities sometimes are different. Economic circumstances may dictate that both spouses work, or the wife may actually earn more than her husband. There may be a tension between their understanding of their roles and the responsibilities they assume.

That tension "probably won't be resolved completely," he predicts, as husbands and wives negotiate such issues as decision-making within the family and division of labor for housework, childcare and financial provision.

Bartkowski noted that even within the ranks of evangelical groups such as Promise Keepers, a popular men's movement, there are differences of opinion about what it means to be a man and wife.

In describing their family relationships, some Promise Keepers refer to their head of household status; others opt for a more democratic description of themselves as 'servant-leaders.' "Some argue for wifely submission to the husband, while others prefer what they call "mutual submission."

"In this language, and in the language of much evangelical literature, we're seeing a fairly traditional world view interlaced with more progressive views about gender relations," he believes.

"In practice, the language reflects much about how relationships are organized. They're more complex and contradictory than we may have thought."