A growing number of online courses are teaching Christian women to embrace submission in marriage, part of a conservative movement that blames feminism for female unhappiness. One prominent example is Wife School, a video masterclass led by Tilly Dillehay, a 38-year-old Baptist writer and pastor's wife. The course promises to help women 'become the kind of woman who inspires a godly leader' by moulding them into smiling, attentive and submissive wives who avoid nagging—even if it means risking the bubonic plague.
Dillehay, who has 11,000 Instagram followers, recently gained a powerful endorsement from Jessa Seewald of the Duggar family. The courses are part of a cottage industry of Christian women selling online programmes that promise marital bliss through Bible passages and personal anecdotes. Their domestic bliss serves as proof of concept: Dillehay presents a satisfied husband, picture-perfect family and a living room straight from a catalogue.
Experts say these courses hint at a crisis in Christian wifedom. Women aged 18 to 29 are leaving organised religion partly due to regressive gender roles, while their male counterparts experience a religious reawakening. 'You've got a lot of young women questioning the church,' said Mariah Wellman, an assistant professor at Michigan State University. 'Everywhere outside of the home feels unknown.'
The courses exploit feelings of inadequacy, according to Wellman. 'These women are building businesses that exploit these feelings of inadequacy that their followers have,' she said. 'They can say whatever they want, because it's framed as spiritual truth.' The movement aligns with figures like Fox News host Lara Trump, who recently touted a poll showing 47% of Gen Z women interested in being 'trad wives'.
Dillehay does not identify as a tradwife, but echoes their talking points while projecting unwavering domesticity. Wife School and similar courses are, critics argue, indoctrination disguised as self-help content. 'The way these women are selling these courses is [by saying], 'I promise this is what you need. God would never steer you wrong,'' Wellman said. 'They're selling wife skills, sure, but what they're really selling is stability.'
