Feminist Studies

The Ideology ofWifely Submission: A Challenge for Feminism?

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This article examines the writings of women who explicitly embrace wifely submission,
including those who advocate corporal punishment. Through a close reading of primary
sources, the article seeks to illuminate the biblical literalist theology that underlies the
ideology of wifely submission and to explain the reasons why many heterosexual women
find such an ideology appealing. While many readers might be tempted to dismiss such
women as antifeminist, the question of desire that their writing raises goes to the heart of
a major challenge faced by contemporary feminist theory, which since the “sex wars”
often remains divided between those who accept whatever women choose as feminist
and those who stand in judgment of other women’s choices. This article uses the case of
wifely submission to examine the problem of desire, the concept of consent, and the
benefits and limitations of “choice” discourse within feminist theory. It argues for a
middle-ground approach that respects women as agents in their own lives, while also
engaging them in reflective conversation about desire and its ramifications.

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: The Women and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association.., 2008

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English

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Article

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