Although fundamentalist political and social systems typically treat women as inferiors, according them fewer rights and privileges as compared to men, there are still many women who not only defend fundamentalism but who in fact choose to enter such relationships. Assuming they aren't masochists or lack any self-confidence, why would any women do such a thing? What's going on here?

In Desert Patriarchy: Mormon and Mennonite Communities in the Chihuahua Valley, Janet Bennion writes:

Women’s role in the patriarchal context is concretely defined and set in stone. They know exactly what they need to do to fulfill that role, and do so as a means of defining true security, identity, and, potentially, satisfaction.

Women who feel they are living in a milieu of ambiguous, fusing sex roles and those who were taught in the context of stricter segregation will be powerfully drawn to that comforting light.

So it sounds like strictly patriarchal systems which typically occur in the context of religious fundamentalism can have a lot to offer people. Most importantly, it offers clearly defined gender roles — and while many people may not like those roles, the fact that they are clearly defined can be a huge benefit that outweighs any of the likely drawbacks. One of the problems which many people experience in modern society is alienation from family, work, community, and so forth.

Clear gender roles don’t just mean a clear division of labor, but also a clear statement about who you are in the community, who you are in the family, what you are obligated to provide, and what others are obligated to provide you. Clear gender roles can thus be comforting and provide a sense of security, stability, and even love in a world that otherwise seems to be chaotic and unstable.

The appeal of such a system is thus not very difficult to imagine as a general principle; when it comes to those who grow up in stricter environments, the appeal must be even stronger. Those women who most negatively experience the instability caused by freedom in modern life are also likely to find this sort of patriarchal system very attractive.

These women are making what they believe to be rational and informed decisions on the basis of the options available to them. If it appears that they are making the “wrong” choice, perhaps it’s because they sincerely and reasonably don’t see the options like others do. Thus instead of saying that there is something wrong with women who choose to subordinate themselves in such systems, it would probably be more productive to ask what is wrong with modern society such that women think that they can only get what they need in such a system.

For example, what can be done about the alienation which women experience such that they might find more comfort and security alongside the freedom and individualism of modern life? Is there any way to preserve the autonomy and individualism that help define modernity while also incorporating some of the stability which appears to have defined earlier eras?

 

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