Is the trad wife dream ending in divorce? - the Sunday Story

In "The Story on Sunday," Manveen Rana interviews Louise Callaghan, the U.S. correspondent for The Sunday Times, about her reporting trip to Birmingham, Alabama, and the surprising rise in divorce rates in the Deep South. Callaghan explains that despite the region's conservative, church-centered culture that promotes traditional gender roles and early marriage, divorce rates are increasing while they are falling in more liberal states. The discussion explores the experiences of women like Sandra and Lina, who felt pressured into early marriages and struggled with the conflicting expectations of being submissive wives and financially independent individuals. The rise of the "trad wife" movement on social media and the influence of conservative organizations like Turning Point are also discussed as factors influencing young women's choices, while older millennial women are increasingly questioning their traditional roles. Callaghan draws parallels between the intense religious conservatism in the South and similar dynamics she observed in the Middle East, particularly regarding gender roles and purity culture.