Feminist Mormon Housewives and Beyond

1
Feminist Mormon Housewives and Beyond
Amy Van Cleave Dr. ConnollyGender and Womens
Studies
PROPOSED RESEARCH PROJECT
Introduction
Methods
Importance
Research will be conducted through participant
observation of church services and functions of
three wards two family and one student - in the
Laramie, Wyoming Stake for ten consecutive
weeks. Interviews will then be conducted with
two to four women in each ward. Data will be
collected using qualitative methods including
identification of themes, trends, and patterns.
This research will be part of the broader
discussion about feminism and religion, through
understanding the experiences of women in a
smaller rural community. It is especially
important to expand the theoretical discussion
about intersectionalities i.e. how feminism fits
in with other elements of an individuals
identity. Additionally, the information will
expand on the similarities and differences of
feminism and Mormonism and how the two work
together or at odds with one another.
Within Mormon culture the existence of feminism
has roots back to the suffragist movement. As
with secular feminism, this movement has evolved
over time and has gone through its own separate
waves of causes and degree of radicalism. Today
this Mormon feminist movement is seen in social
media via the use of blogs, Twitter, and
Facebook. What isnt so readily apparent is the
movement on the streets, i.e. the wards, the
relief society organization, or the structure of
the Mormon church.
Research Question
Acknowledgements
The research will examine how Mormon women
within one community relate to secular feminism,
as well as the Mormon feminist movement seen via
contemporary social media.
I would like to thank Professor Connolly of the
University of Wyoming Gender and Womens Studies
Department, and also the McNair Scholars Program
for their assistance and support with my research
project.
Objective
The purpose of this research is to examine the
existence or lack thereof of a culture of Mormon
feminism within one community. The research will
consider key themes within second and third wave
feminism , such as the rhetoric of equal rights
between men and women and issues related to
gender and fluidity, as well as the existence of
backlash to these popular movements. Importantly,
this research will examine how women in the LDS
community define feminism for themselves.