Negotiating the complementarian gender ideology of an evangelical student subculture: further evidence from women's narratives

Abstract

This study is based on a longitudinal, qualitative investigation of a burgeoning evangelical student organisation on a university campus in the USA. In addition to four months of observation, in‐depth interviews were conducted with students in their first and third years of college to understand the gender climate and ideology that characterised the organisation, as well as how students' gender ideologies were altered or reinforced after three years of exposure to the organisation. The findings from the initial study revealed that the evangelical student community was steeped in a complementarian gender ideology; that is, the culture embraced normative masculinity, essential gender differences, and separate roles and expectations for men and women with respect to leadership, modesty, and dating/marriage. A narrative analysis of the longitudinal interview data revealed the diverse ways in which four women negotiated the gender ideology of the evangelical organisation during their college years.

Keywords:

• college student
• gender ideology
• religion
• evangelical

Acknowledgement

This paper was presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Louisville, KY, November 2007.

Notes

1. In the interest of preserving anonymity, all names – including the name of the organisation and participant names – are pseudonyms.

2. As a progressive Christian I identify primarily with mainline/liberal Protestant Christianity and with the principles of inclusion, equality, and justice for all people.