Men Helping Women: A Monastic Case Study

This article examines the patterns of male-female interaction that occur when women are structurally reliant on the help of men. A case study of the founding of a religious community for women illuminates circumstances that foster women's need for assistance. The structural features of monastic life that produced strain between women and men are examined, as well as those that contributed to cooperation. The study concludes with consideration of possible implications for interaction between men and women who work in other sorts of institutions.