ABSTRACT
Feminist critiques of religion invariably cite the patriarchal tendencies of the Christian tradition - pointing to passages from sacred texts and influential theological tracts that place women in a divinely sanctioned subordinate role. This chapter shows how conservative Christians view female labour force participation - proscribing careers other than that of housewife, especially when children are in their "tender years". To test whether these religious prescriptions and proscriptions influence women's decisions to become a housewife, it examines data from the Youth Parent Socialization Panel Study. The chapter reveals some interesting time-dependent relationships between fundamentalist religious orientations and becoming a housewife. First, early transitions to becoming a housewife were strongly influenced by fundamentalist orientations. Second, inerrantist beliefs in the Bible did not predict transitions to becoming a housewife later in the early life course. Third, fundamentalist orientations significantly increased the risk that a woman spends her early career as a housewife, and then enters paid employment later in life.
