Buzzflash editor Mark Karlin interviewed me recently about Quiverfull. The interview is up today. Here’s an excerpt from his introduction:
When Americans think of patriarchal societies, female submission, or extreme gender inequality based on religious teachings, visions of Muslim women in burkas or Hindus in poorly arranged marriages may come to mind. The reality, though, is that a growing number of American Christian fundamentalists also have rejected feminism and egalitarianism, embracing instead male dominance and what they call the “Quiverfull” belief system. Picture the Massachusetts Bay Colonies before Hester Prynne‘s day. The women in such communities live within a stringently enforced doctrine of wifely submission and male “headship,” including a selfless acceptance of possibly constant pregnancies and as many children under foot as God might bring. They reject not only “reproductive rights” of any kind, but also higher education and workforce participation for women.
In her book Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement, journalist Kathryn Joyce approaches the Quiverfull followers with deep curiosity and the restraint of a good journalist. She recently talked with BuzzFlash about the beliefs and lifestyle of inequaity that has taken a foothold in corners of American society. Understanding patriarchy is essential to understanding the right wing, fundamentalism, and the authoritarian structure of the Republican Party.
