How does white Christian nationalism harm women in America?

Abstract

This article delves into the harmful impact of white Christian nationalist ideology on women’s rights, autonomy, and status in US society. By imposing racial, religious, and patriarchal frameworks, this ideology restricts women’s roles to ideals of obedience, domesticity, and racial “purity,” often weaponizing these expectations against their freedoms. This article draws on examples from history and includes excerpts from my book, Sexual Terrorism: Women Trapped in Silence, Domination, Power, and Control Stand Up Against Patriarchy, to illustrate the real-life consequences and struggles of women who have resisted these oppressive structures within both society and the church. The reversal of Roe v. Wade exemplifies how white Christian nationalist values can infringe upon reproductive rights, effectively limiting women’s access to health care and self-determination. Furthermore, this article connects these restrictions to broader, ongoing patterns of societal control, in which women’s voices are silenced or minimized to maintain a status quo dominated by male authority. Through historical analysis and firsthand accounts, this article emphasizes the resilience of women who have defied these constraints, asserting the need for awareness, allyship, and advocacy to combat the effects of white Christian nationalism and safeguard women’s autonomy and equality in America today.