6.1 conclusion  (Page 4/8)

Lower- and middle-class women—those comprising Texas Baptist churches during the period of this study—did not conform to the sheltered, Victorian model that was upheld as the paragon of feminine virtue at the time. They valued that ideal and looked at it with romantic longing, but without the economic and cultural background of either the Northeast or the Deep South, Texas simply did not provide circumstances in which that kind of existence could be realized. Life in the frontier state was informal, and women were more physically active and their rural pursuits still integrated with those of males. This activity and interaction generally gave women confidence and enabled them to feel less defensive toward men; it did not result, however, in their attempting to eliminate the differences between the sexes or aspiring to be manly. Instead, they adopted the attitude that feminine differences should not be sacrificed for equality's sake, but recognized and valued. Even when the movement from rural to urban arrangements of living separated the spheres of the sexes, giving women a more exclusively domestic and familial role, they did not view that identity as one inherently uncreative and unworthy, but undervalued. They claimed that their emphasis on self-denying characteristics and nurturing activities were closer to the Christian model than the production-oriented, materialistic aspirations of many males. They did not seek to change their identity or lower their moral standards, but demanded that men rise to their level.

Operating in the egalitarian atmosphere of the West and within the democratic tradition of the Baptist church, Texas Baptists demonstrated as interest in women's education early in the state's history, providing for coeducation from Baylor's founding in 1846. During the period of this study, they developed even greater recognition of women's intellectual powers and provided additional opportunities for the exercise of those powers. Women were given broader intellectual challenges, including the opportunity to become scholars, and were offered the possibility of affiliating with the Baptist seminary, but they did not enter as the equals of male candidates, particularly in biblical and doctrinal studies. Their religious education was centered more on practical Christianity, the education of children, and moral elevation.

Career opportunities for females continued to be limited, but the acceptability of a woman having a career lost some of its stigma after the depression of the 1890s and with the shift in population to urban areas. Those choices, however, were generally limited to teaching, secretarial duties, or the arts. Texas Baptists remained consistently inflexible about women combining careers with marriage. Motherhood remained a woman's highest calling. If, by reason of childlessness and/or wealth, a married woman had leisure time, she generally gave herself to good works, the missionary society, or other women's club activities, which increased in popularity during the early part of the twentieth century.