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NEWS and NOTES
Vol. III, No. 1
Religion and family life is the topic of the new research from a book, Evangelical Identity and Gendered Family Life, (Rutgers University Press January 2003). We are currently highlighting this work by sociologist Sally Gallagher on the Hartford Institute web site. In her study of American evangelicals, Gallagher explores gender and family ideals and practices among ordinary evangelicals.
Key findings from this study are:
* Evangelical women are employed at about the same rate as other American women.
* Evangelicals increasingly emphasize involved fathering, not just as authority figure in the home but as an active presence in the everyday lives of their children.
* Most evangelicals think of marriage as a partnership in which husbands and wives are equal participants in decision-making and child-rearing.
Certain findings available on the web site show the differences and similarities between conservative and more liberal Christians. The study also reveals fascinating differences of opinion between males and females of all religious affiliations. The table below shows some of these intriguing differences of opinion.
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|
Who takes responsibility for Spiritual Life (% agree)
Evangelical |
Fundamentalist |
Mainline |
Liberal |
He
says |
She says |
He
says |
She
says |
He says |
She says |
He says |
She says |
Husband –more responsibility |
63 |
34 |
61 |
38 |
34 |
19 |
29 |
18 |
Wife – more responsibility |
14 |
45 |
19 |
42 |
27 |
54 |
29 |
54 |
Equal responsibility |
23 |
20 |
21 |
20 |
39 |
27 |
43 |
29 |
| Who takes responsibility for Parenting Decisions (% agree) |
Evangelical |
Fundamentalist |
Mainline |
Liberal |
| He says |
She says |
He says |
She says |
He says |
She says |
He says |
She says |
Husband –more responsibility |
12 |
21 |
12 |
21 |
8 |
18 |
10 |
17 |
Wife – more responsibility |
28 |
14 |
43 |
22 |
45 |
17 |
39 |
21 |
Equal responsibility |
61 |
65 |
45 |
58 |
47 |
65 |
51 |
63 |
Other helpful Sites about Religion and the Family:
Contemporary Evangelicals, Families & Gender
The section of our site that contains considerably more of the research from the work by Sally Gallagher on this interesting topic.
Religion Culture and Family Project
The Religion, Culture, and Family Project at The Divinity School has an excellent set of resource links.
Center for Congregations and Family Ministry
Located at Louisville Seminary, this organization is dedicated to advising and training congregations in supporting family ministries.
The Youth and Religion Project
of the University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Sociology offers an excellent selection of modules and papers.
Faith Lives of Youth and Young Adults
This project includes Luther Seminary, Southwestern Baptist Seminary, and several Roman Catholic church leaders.
Family Research Council
This site, from a conservative Evangelical perspective, was formerly associated with James Dobson's Focus on the Family.
Also, visit our section on Religion and the Family for research reports, informative articles, and more useful links.
What's new?
Visit our "What's News at Hartford Institute" page to see what we've been doing.
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