Critical Response 3: Amish Religion The Amish religion is governed by men. Only men are allowed to serve in positions of authority in the church. Women are even forbidden from holding ministry roles (Zavada). Therefore, men have control over the Amish religion and the Amish women. In the Amish religion, women are expected to marry, be caregivers, and maintain the household. In an Amish marriage, women are placed in a lower position compared to men. Men are the head of the household; therefore, they make most decisions about spiritual and societal matters. When it comes to the topic of children, the Amish women are expected to bear many children and be the primary caregivers. Amish women are also expected to maintain the household by cleaning …show more content…
They are expected to marry, have children, and take care of the home. Women are seen as the “head of the home,” whereas men are seen as the “head of the household”. Women in the Amish community are expected to marry. This places the husband at the head of the household; thereby, putting the woman he marries in a more submissive situation. The husband dictates major decisions relating to spiritual and societal matters. The husband is the one who is expected to do manual labor tasks such as, building barns or tending to the farm. The women are expected to do domestic work. Some of their tasks are cleaning the house, cooking, and caring for children. An example of this is seen when Armstrong witnesses an Amish barn raising; “the Amishmen from the neighborhood were crawling all over the barn roof; they had it finished by chore time. The women were inside making a meal for the 30 or so men who were working” (Armstrong 48). The women were expected to be in the home doing domestic work while the men were doing manual labor. Due to the Amish religion, women are expected to bear many children. Susie and Ephraim were having a baby. Ephraim stated, “this will make Grandma’s 108th grandchild—that is, if somebody didn’t beat us to it” (Armstrong 97). This expectation from their Amish community and husbands lowers a woman’s respect. Women invest a lot of energy and time into developing and raising a child. In their religion, this is