Writing about Amish women and singlehood

Abstract

ABSTRACT This manuscript explores the various ways that Amish society negotiates singlehood for women. Through a narrative analysis of a decade of writings by singles and about singlehood in an Amish youth magazine, the writings show similarities to and differences from mainstream society’s and other Christian approaches to singlehood. The manuscript argues that even in a marriage- and procreation-oriented religious society, singlehood is complex, being both lamented as non-normative and valued as an example of submission of individual liberation. This complexity unveils the diversity that surrounds gender and marriage in a society often thought of as monolithic by outsiders.