by Ivana Greco (@IvanaDGreco)
How do conservatives think about gender roles? The answer appears to be changing: per recent research, many more conservatives today think women should “return to their traditional gender roles” than they did two years ago. What is less clear is what these survey respondents mean when they say women should be “traditional.”
Afterall,oneoftheoldestdepictionswehaveofwomenintheJudeo-ChristiantraditionisfoundinafamouspassagefromProverbs.The“Proverbs31”woman“considersafieldandbuysit;outofherearningssheplantsavineyard.”She“speakswithwisdom”andis“clothedwithstrengthanddignity.”ThisvisionofatraditionalwomanisverydifferentfromthehaplessLucyfrom“ILoveLucy”who(amongotherhilariousscenes)accidentally glues afakebeardtoherfacewithcementglue.Whichvisionof“traditionalwomanhood”doconservativeshaveinmind?Isitthechild-likeLucywhoreliesonRickyforalmosteverything?OrthecompetentProverbsmatriarch,whotakesherrolesinbothfamilyandcommunitylifeseriously?Orsomeothervision,perhapsrootedinthephilosophic
