Private Lives of Ministers' Wives

The stereotype of the minister's wife as unassuming helpmate and selfless do-gooder is cracked apart in this report, based on the responses of more than 100 such wives to a nationwide survey constructed by freelance writer Greenbacker and Taylor, a minister and a minister's wife. While most agree that a minister's family seems to live in a fishbowl, some of the women enjoy their role and relish such traditional activities as organizing suppers and befriending congregants. Others pursue their own interests or careers regardless of parishioners' opinions, and often find friends outside the congregation. Ministers' wives have little or no privacy, yet are often very lonely--one reason, perhaps, that the divorce rate among clergy couples is nearly double the national average. Presenting the stories of six women's lives in narrative form, the authors cite other case histories in their analysis. (Nov.)