One step forward, one step back: “Progressive traditionalism” and the negotiation of domestic labor in evangelical families

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.