

Second in Rank
Jan 27, 2025
Beth Allison Barr, a history professor and author, delves into the patriarchal roots of 'biblical womanhood.' Kate West, a former insider, shares her journey out of tradwife circles, highlighting the confining expectations placed on women. Hannah Oliver recounts her experience in Doug Wilson-adjacent communities and the pressure to conform to outdated ideals. The discussion covers the unrealistic standards of domesticity, the effects of gendered literature, and offers hope for those seeking to escape oppressive structures in the name of faith.
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Support Role Creates Female Precarity
- Female worth in this theology is measured by support for a husband's vocation, creating precarity.
- Beth Allison Barr warns women's life quality depends on their husband's character and goodwill.
Raised As A Stay‑At‑Daughter
- Kate West recounts being raised as a "stay-at-daughter" and staying at home until age 25.
- She describes her father's control over courtship and delayed adulthood until marriage.
Selective Elevation Of 'Household Code' Verses
- Key biblical passages about gender existed historically but were not always central to practice.
- Beth Allison Barr notes they became the primary interpretive lens only in the 19th–20th centuries.