The Struggle to Stay - by Katie Gaddini (Paperback)

About the Book

The Struggle to Stay is an intimate and insightful portrait of single women's experiences in evangelical churches. Drawing on unprecedented access to churches in the United States and the United Kingdom, Katie Gaddini relates the struggles of four women, interwoven with her own story of leaving behind a devout faith.

Book Synopsis

Evangelical Christianity is often thought of as oppressive to women. The #MeToo era, when many women hit a breaking point with rampant sexism, has also reached evangelical communities. Yet more than thirty million women in the United States still identify as evangelical. Why do so many women remain in male-dominated churches that marginalize them, and why do others leave? In each case, what does this cost them?

The Struggle to Stay is an intimate and insightful portrait of single women's experiences in evangelical churches. Drawing on unprecedented access to churches in the United States and the United Kingdom, Katie Gaddini relates the struggles of four women, interwoven with her own story of leaving behind a devout faith. She connects these personal narratives with rigorous analysis of Christianity and politics in both countries, and contextualizes them through interviews with more than fifty other evangelical women. Gaddini grapples with the complexities of obedience and resistance for women within a patriarchal religion against the backdrop of a culture war. Her exploration of how women choose to leave or remain in environments that constrain them is nuanced and personal, telling powerful stories of faith, community, isolation, and loss. Bringing together meticulous research and deep empathy, The Struggle to Stay provides a revelatory account of the private burdens that evangelical women bear.

Review Quotes

Offers some helpful insights as we consider the experiences and presence of single women in our churches.-- "The Global Anglican"

Written in an accessible and engaging manner, deftly weaving four captivating stories together with a rigorous analysis of Christianity, gender and politics, it is a fascinating read.-- "Marginalia Review of Books"

The Struggle to Stay offers a vivid, enlightening glimpse into the complex contradictions of Christian life. These women want to stay in the church. But they also want to be sexually active and respected as equals--and that is hard. This book gives a rich, nuanced account of why and how it is hard that respects the complexities of the religious experience. A beautifully written, vivid, insightful book about being a bright Christian woman.--T. M. Luhrmann, author of How God Becomes Real: Kindling the Presence of Invisible Others

In The Struggle to Stay, Gaddini does what is rare in a work of scholarship--she marshals deep research while also humanizing her subjects and topic. This book will be an indispensable part of the growing scholarship that reevaluates modern evangelicalism in relation to gender. Gaddini is analytical without being aloof, empathetic without being saccharine. Many readers of this book will feel both seen and informed along the way. In the end, The Struggle to Stay, accomplishes what it set out to do--it describes the conundrum of single evangelical women in churches and the price they pay to remain there.

--Jemar Tisby, author of The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church's Complicity in Racism

A beautifully written book that evocatively draws the reader into the lives of single, evangelical women as they negotiate what it means to thrive on community while also experiencing a keen sense of separation for being outside the norm.-- "Gender & Society"

Drawing on the author's own experience as well as research with evangelical women in Britain and America, this book takes a long and searching look at what makes women stay in churches that treat them with ambivalence--and why, even when they decide to go, they leave a part of themselves behind. Emotionally and intellectually compelling.--Linda Woodhead, coauthor of That Was the Church That Was: How the Church of England Lost the English People

For anyone who studies evangelical Christianity, this book adds important, detailed insights to the existing body of research on women and evangelicalism. For those concerned about and committed to building inclusive church communities, this book is essential reading.-- "Review of Religious Research"

Masterfully narrates the stories of evangelical women. . . . Gaddini's writing and argument shine in chapters that directly confront gendered double standards within evangelical churches.-- "Sociology of Religion"

The author's insider perspective provides essential insight into fractures within the evangelical movement, and the focus on the experiences of individuals puts a human face on larger trends. This moving and incisive account will resonate with anyone who has struggled with their faith.-- "Publishers Weekly"

Vivid descriptions and thoughtful analysis. . . . Gaddini models great care and empathy in her treatment of evangelical women.-- "Reading Religion"

About the Author

Katie Gaddini is a sociologist at the Social Research Institute, University College London (UCL) and a research associate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Johannesburg. She is a United Kingdom Research and Innovation Research Fellow at Stanford University and UCL.. Gaddini previously worked in the prevention of gender-based violence in Peru, South Africa, Spain, and the United States.