Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Part I. Who Are We Talking to? 
Chapter 1. Stories of Ordinary Women
Chapter 2. The Rhetoric of the Elite
Chapter 3. Three Conservative Religious Communities
Part II. Yes to Feminist Values
Chapter 4. Femininists in Society
Chapter 5. Traditionalists in Church and Synagogue
Chapter 6. But What about the Home? 
Chapter 7. Understanding Inconsistency
Part III. No the the Feminist Movement
Chapter 8. Profeminist or Antifeminist? 
Chapter 9. Conflict with Secular America--Abortion and Homosexuality
Chapter 10. Understanding the Differences
Appendix A
Appendix B
Notes
Bibliography
Index

About the Author

CHRISTEL MANNING is an assistant professor of religion at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT.

Reviews

Manning unravels the broad stereotypes of religiously conservative women as servile and passive. This book brings to life the many dimensions of conservative religions and their relationship to women's feelings about their rights and roles, as well as opinions about the broader women's movement....This book...reveals how these women weave meanings for and from religion and gender issues....Well written and discerning.
*Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion*

The points of agreement and disagreement among the members of Manning's three constituencies are provocative and illuminating. Manning argues persuasively that we need to think about cultural conflict in new ways that reflect and expose the complexity and diversity in the traditionalist religious worldview. Recommended.
*Choice*

Highly accessible....Manning introduces us to some thoughtful women from evangelical Protestant, Orthodox Jewish, and conservative Catholic backgrounds, analyzing their lives as a complicated blend of modern values and traditional belief.
*author of Fundamentalism and Gender, 1875 to the Present*

Christel Manning's ethnographic study of conservative Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish women is a cautionary tale about the dangers of generalizing about traditionalists/fundamentalists across the lines of historic religious traditions. Her method entailed a study of documents, extensive participant-observation fieldwork, and over seventy-five interviews with women who are members of three anonymous congregations....This work is an impressive scholarly achievement. Those looking for careful Calvin exegesis, detailed analysis, and excellent discussions of contemporary debates about Calvin would be well-advised to read it.
*Journal of Religion*

This book shatters stereotypes and portrays the religious lives of ordinary women as they really are.
*J. F. Rowny Professor of Religion and Society, Department of Religious Studies,*

Delves into the complex, seemingly contradictory, emotions and behaviors of women who embrace conservative religious traditions as they come to terms with feminism.
*author of Rachel's Daughters*