Ian - I love your threads!
LT said-
"I would further suggest that many JW women don't know what to do with equality. It throws them into a loop that leaves them either attempting to wrest control or being submissive."
I wholeheartedly agree. I was by no means a submissive wife, my husband would have hated that anyway, but as a JW woman you are always struggling with trying to fit into this mold of what a "good" wife, mother, *christian* woman is. It was like trying to fit a square peg into a circle for me. I feel free of all that now, but also struggling. My husband and I are trying to totally "re-write" our roles. We've only known one way for so long and it's very challenging to figure out what you want your roles to be now that YOU can CHOOSE them yourselves. As far as the equality thing I've had to learn that equality in our relationship means that I need to take more of my own responsiblility - like not leaving "spiritual" things to hubby, or financially I need to know I can support myself. I think most jw women I knew, myself included, tried to push blame on our jw men too much. I think we tried to push responsibility on them that was unfair. that's why, IMO, I keep seeing so many unhappy marriages in the org.