These Are Some Of The 423 Questions Jim Bob Duggar Gives To His Daughters' Future Spouses
The Duggar family has had a lot to celebrate in 2021, and the year is barely one-third over. Two of the Duggar sons, Justin and Jedidiah, married their girlfriends within a month of each other. Daughter Jessa announced she was pregnant with her fourth child, and most recently, daughter-in-law Anna revealed she and Josh will welcome their seventh child – a girl – in a few months. What next? Well, sources suggest that the oldest unmarried Duggar daughter, Jana, may be engaged or close to it. If that's the case, then rest assured that this was no impulsive or unexpected choice on her part.
Fans of the "19 Kids and Counting" series know that when it comes to romantic relationships, the Duggars do things differently from most folks. Instead of letting their children date, parents Jim Bob and Michelle believe in "courtships," a controlled process involving getting Jim Bob's approval first, followed by supervised dates with little to no physical contact (the first kiss is strictly saved for the wedding). The idea is to make sure their children find the mate that God has in mind for them - a goal they believe can't happen through casual dating and premarital intimacy.
The rules for courtship of the Duggar daughters seem to be more involved than those for the boys. Any man who wants to court a Duggar daughter has to fill out a form consisting of 423 questions on topics ranging from personal finance to parenting to basic courtesy. Some of those questions, however, seem more than a little creepy.
The questionnaire includes questions on spanking children and 'exposure to homosexuality'
At least two of the Duggar husbands have confirmed that they had to answer Jim Bob's lengthy questionnaire before they were allowed to court (via CafeMom). YouTube star Katie Joy of Without a Crystal Ball recently found the questionnaire and posted some sample questions to her Instagram account. One section asks suitors to discuss how they treat women: "Do you open doors for ladies? ... Do you offer to carry things for them?" But it also asks, "Are [women] to speak only when spoken to?" and "Have you ever taken a woman's advice?" Followers noted that it's hard to tell from the wording what kind of answer Jim Bob is looking for here. What would happen if a suitor said "yes" to the former and "no" to the latter?
Another section addresses parenting issues, with questions such as "When does corporal discipline begin?" The Duggars value total obedience in children and feel that spanking is an appropriate punishment for correcting rebellion, even in infants.
Katie Joy also posted a page showing the question: "Have you ever been exposed to homosexuality? If so, explain the extent and the circumstances." Respondents were outraged, posting such comments as "How is this ANY of JB's business?" One follower noted that Jed Duggar's new brother-in-law is openly gay: "[D]id Jed's wife get this same list of screener questions and have to...explain how her exposure to homosexuality is her having an awesome human for a brother?"