‘I Insisted I Was Myself’: clergy wives and authentic selfhood in Englandc. 1960–94

Abstract

From the 1960s onwards, Anglican clergy wives developed a literature of protest by writing letters, newspaper articles and books about their lived experience. Clergy wives were protesting against their own incorporation into their husband's profession. By revealing aspects of their life histories, clergy wives challenged the broader gender inequalities of the Church. The article draws on recent research emphasising authenticity as an important concept for understanding romantic relationships and religious identities in the mid to late twentieth century. Clergy wives articulated a desire for authentic selfhood, which was often manifested in a need for domestic privacy, but could also underpin vocational ambitions within and without the Church. Though the influence was often implicit, contemporary feminist debates were also relevant to how clergy wives perceived their lives. Whilst the discourse of authenticity drew from liberal secular individualism, it continued to be most commonly framed by Christian ideals.