The Sun
ANKLE-length skirts, no mobile phones and permission needed to “court” – this may sound like Downton Abbey but is actually the way of life in a community in England today.
Nestled on some rural land in a quiet village in Sussex is the Bruderhof community, which has 300 members and a back-to-basics approach to life.
New members have to give up their worldly possessions and finances before joining the radical Christian group.
Rules for women are fairly strict – with their dress code being likened to “peasants in the 1920s”, with high-necked shirts, headscarves and plaid long dresses or skirts.
Speaking on a BBC1 documentary on Bruderhof, a woman from the community explained: “We don’t want anything slinky that will show your figure.
“We should not try and attract attention to ourselves, especially not to the opposite sex. And be modest.”
And the men in the group – who wear contemporary clothes themselves – believe that the strict dress code for women actually helps to protect them.
Community member Bernard told CrossRhythms: “When you’re living in a community like this where we uphold sexual purity, uphold marriage, it is very important.
“I want my wife, all women in fact, to come to work knowing they are never going to be sexually harassed in the workplace.”
We should not try and attract attention to ourselves, especially not to the opposite sex. And be modest.
Bruderhof Female Member
When it comes to dating, community members need to ask permission before becoming romantically involved with the opposite gender.
Teenage “courtship” is banned to “avoid the hurt that comes with dating”, and if you wish to become involved with someone, you must typically wait until after baptism in your early twenties.
Relationships are monitored by parents and community leaders – and sex before marriage, divorce and same sex relationships are prohibited.
One woman told BBC how she was subjected to a “public shaming” after she was caught as a teen with a boyfriend in the 2000s, and her “crimes” were read aloud in front of 200 adults.
The Bruderhof deny using public humiliation as a punishment.
Roles for women in the settlement are as “mothers, nurturers, and homemakers”, but the Bruderhof website adds they can also be “teachers, doctors, sales managers, lawyers, laundresses, and architects.”
However, domestic chores like cooking, cleaning, sewing and laundry are predominantly undertaken by the female members, while men work the land.
Mobile phones, video games and laptops are banned, and entertainment takes the form of swimming in lakes, camping and playing outdoors.
There is plenty of time for social interaction, as the Bruderhofs eat together at least once a day, and at lunch will often sing hymns or listen to a community leader read aloud a children’s story.
Everyone in the community is assigned an unpaid job, be it in the nursery, launderette, or in Bruderhof’s big moneymaker – the Robertsbridge factory.
The commune business makes high quality wooden children’s furniture and toys business, which supports their modest lifestyle with its £17million annual turnover.
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