Gender Roles
The Amish culture bases it's values off of a deeply religious and strict traditional view of how life is to be lived, and how interactions- including interactions between genders- are to be appropriately carried out. Gender roles within the Amish community stem from the examples provided within the Bible, and the breakaway leadership of Jacob Ammann from the group of Protestant divergents. Similar to other communities with strong religious ties and farming livlihoods, the Amish maintain a commitment to both modesty and purity. Men are seen as the head of the household, and are to be obeyed at all costs. They tend to the farm and animals, and their authority goes without questioning. Women are subordinate to their husbands and fathers, and are expected to maintain the household while providing the children with supervision and education. Work roles and gender relations within the Amish consist of, "An equal division of labor responsibility between Amish men and women. The women keep the house and the men work the farms." Beyond the scope of gender roles through the labor expectation lense, gender roles regarding sexuality within the Amish culture and community are equally as rigid and traditional. Men are dominant, and their commands are to be met with no resistance from women. Women, therefore, are viewed as submissive, and should under no circumstances, voice their opinion on sexual matters. Amish view sexuality within the parameters set by the Bible and the church, and sexuality is an aspect of human nature that is to be suppressed and strictly controlled.