Gendered Power, Spirituality, and Relational Processes: Experiences of Christian Physician Couples

Abstract

The authors examine how gendered power and spirituality interact in the relational processes of heterosexual Christian physician couples. Using a relational feminist theoretical perspective and the documented link between gender equality and relational and individual well-being, they aimed to investigate Christian physician couples’ marital and spiritual experiences. Physicians’ increasing openness to spiritual issues, growing numbers of women entering medicine, and work pressures on medical marriages make studying this population particularly relevant. This constructivist grounded theory analysis drew on interviews with 22 married couples in whom at least one spouse was a physician to investigate how physician couples experienced God and their spouse. Findings suggest that Christian spirituality and relational processes seem inseparable from couples’ gendered power dynamics and connect across three themes: emotional tone, relational pattern, and dialogic direction. Implications for addressing social discourses and facilitating couples in power sharing interactions are explored.