Bethany Polhamus

Decision Points: How Evangelical Women Navigate Marital Choices Bethany Polhamus

Since the 1960s and the 1970s the United States has continued to see a delay in timing of first marriage as well as a growing acceptance of premarital sex and cohabitation. In contrast, Evangelical Christians have retained more traditional family values by encouraging couples in their congregations to marry but to abstain from sex and living together until after the wedding ceremony. Yet to what degree does adherence to these values actually affect the marital choices of highly educated women in Evangelical Christian churches? This study is based on 24 in-depth interviews of college-educated Evangelical women in the Chicagoland area, primarily between the ages of 24 to 36. The level of exposure to conservative religious values at a young age, attending a Christian college and the the prevalence of divorce or other significant life stressors in a woman's life appeared to relate to timing of first marriage. Primarily religious adherence played a significant role in how women made marriage decisions by marrying Christian men and abstaining from sex before marriage.