A New Theory Suggests Jana Duggar Won't Leave Home Until Her Younger Siblings Do
Even though the Duggar family hasn't been on reality TV in years, they're still making plenty of headlines—and not very pleasant ones. Ever since Josh Duggar's criminal case and subsequent imprisonment, people have been digging deeper into the family's past and their previously unaired secrets.
One of the things Duggar fans often speculate about is why Jana Duggar, the oldest daughter in the family, has never left home (or been married).
Why Hasn't Jana Duggar Gotten Married Yet?
It's common for the Duggars to marry very young, as young as newly-turned-18. For that reason, Jana still living at home has become something of a red flag for fans of the family. Of course, some fans have theorized that Jana Duggar hasn't married yet simply because she's independent and possibly picky about choosing a partner.
As most viewers of the family's show know, they don't necessarily have arranged marriages, but any Duggar daughter can ask their dad Jim Bob for permission to "court" a suitor. That means if Jana fancied someone, she could, in theory, get permission to date them.
Others think there's something more sinister at play, and that Jana's unfortunate future will be to live with Michelle and Jim Bob long after her siblings move out, serving as a caretaker for the rest of her life.
After Josh's trial, and so many of the family's secrets being revealed, onlookers have a different and sadder theory.
Could Jana Duggar Be Living At Home To Protect Her Siblings?
Jana has long been known as the Duggar family's babysitter, and not just for her own siblings. She once pleaded guilty to child endangerment while babysitting at her family's home, after a child wandered off.
Ultimately, Jana took responsibility for the incident (no one was hurt), but it highlighted her home life for supporters, who think Jana feels pressured by her parents but also morally led to continue living in the family home well into adulthood.
This theory came about after details of Josh Duggar's crimes were finally revealed, and the public learned that a family friend knew that Josh was assaulting his younger sisters but did not immediately act.
Ultimately, it took the family friend's daughter writing a letter, which was inadvertently passed to someone else through book lending, to get the unfortunate reveal to the public (and law enforcement).
Before it was revealed who wrote the letter, people took to Reddit to share their thoughts about the Duggars' family life and speculate on Jana's possible motivations for living at home so long. Many surmised that Jana knew more details of the younger children's assault than even they did, and felt obligated to protect her siblings.
Jim Bob And Michelle Might Be Limiting Jana's Courting Options
Some also thought that Michelle and Jim Bob might be requiring Jana to continue living at home for insurance against the remaining children from being harmed. Though Josh Duggar is now behind bars, it seems to be implied that Josh wasn't the only danger to the younger siblings.
No allegations seem to have been made against any other Duggar child (or adult), but the fact that the Department of Children's Services is rumored to have been involved when Josh's crimes came to light suggests that some amount of oversight was necessary in the home afterward.
Various commenters also speculated that Jana, who is two years younger than Josh, was never abused by her brother, and may have been the one to witness his crimes against the younger siblings.
Thanks to the court testimony surrounding Josh Duggar's trial, it's known that four of his younger sisters were victimized. However, none of the children were ever removed from the home, and although Josh faced multiple charges for possession of inappropriate material, he was never criminally charged for the assaults on his siblings.
That doesn't mean nothing changed at home, however. In 2001, an article about Jim Bob's political activities recapped some family facts that viewers of 19 Kids and Counting already knew; that the family had a buddy system where an older child was responsible for a younger one, including feeding, dressing, and bathing them.
The article described Josh as the oldest son and the family's "grill master" who often made dinner with Jana and John-David so that their parents could "visit."
In later years (by 2009), the "buddy system" was shifted so that one of the older girls was the head of a "buddy team," per Josh Duggar's bio on the Fundamentalists Wiki. Many theorize that this was in response to Josh's having assaulted his siblings, and amid the state's investigation into the Duggars' home.
One commenter suggested that Jana will be "allowed to marry" when the younger girls are all between 18 and 21 (IE marriageable age), a theory worth exploring given the family's troubled history.
Another supporter also speculated, "That's why Jana still isn't married yet, because pretty much every older male figure in her life has let her down, and she has some sort of trust issues concerning that."
Regardless of her feelings about marriage, it would make sense if Jana was reluctant to leave her younger siblings, or fully trust someone who could turn out to be a predator.
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