Gender+Roles+of+Women+in+the+Mormon+Religion

=**Gender Roles of Women of the Mormon Religion**=

Mormons, also known as members of the [|Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints] (LDS) self-identify as Christians, followers of Jesus Christ. There are currently more than 14 million members of the congregation worldwide (Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 2012). The Church was established in 1830 by the first president, Joseph Smith.
 * Who are Mormons? **

**What Mormons Believe (that differs from traditional Christian religions)**
Members of the LDS Church believe that Joseph Smith was called by God to be a prophet in the “modern era” after being visited by God the Father and God the Son. He was instructed to restore the true church “//with the proper organization and priesthood authority//,” that had been lost after Jesus’ death. In 1823, Joseph Smith was visited by an angel provided him the history of the ancient people of America; he then translated this from Hebrew to English and it is now valued by Mormons as //The Book of Mormon,// a scripture additional to the Bible. Joseph Smith’s successors are currently had have previously stood as the leaders of the LDS church. Mormons believe that these individuals (men who hold the Priesthood) are able to guide the members of the church; this is accomplished through their ability to communicate with and received guidance from God (Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 2012).

Mormons believe that before they are born on earth, they have lived with God as spirits; they believe that their purpose on earth, as depicted by God, is to learn and grow in their physical bodies. The ultimate goal is to live a good enough life to be accepted into the highest kingdom of Heaven to live eternally with God and your family from your life on Earth (Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 2012).

**The Priesthood[[image:priesthood.jpg align="right"]]**
Any worthy male can be given the [|Priesthood], it is not given to women. The [|Priesthood] is given to all “righteous men” and allows them to act in the name of God to conduct acts such as leading the congregations, performing ordinances, and blessing others (Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 2012). “In the Mormon worldview, men’s leadership, governing, and providing roles are actually character-building and service-focused,” (Kline, 2014). Thus, the reasoning provided as to why women do not have Priesthood, maintains that women’s don’t need it since they are, “mothers and already spiritual and self- less (Kline, 2014). However, it can also be argued that Mormons compare-as-equal the privilege to hold the Priesthood with the idea that God entrusted women with the responsibility of carrying and birthing children. Once again the core argument returns to the importance of the family, downplaying the fact that males are also necessary in the process of reproduction. This dismisses the lack of additional responsibilities that women are afforded in the leadership and governing structures of the Church, especially in comparison to those that men are.

**The Family**
As noted above, successors of the first prophet, Joseph Smith, become President of the Church. These males are believed to receive messages from God, which they share with Church members (Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 2012). During his term as President in 1995, Gordon B. Hinckley issued a statement that defined the Church’s official position on family, marriage, gender roles, and sexuality. This is currently known today as //The Family: A Proclamation to the World,// or “the Proclamation” for short; it is revered in Mormon households across the world, framed and hung on mantels, and used a reference for daily living.

The Proclamation asserts that the family unit is “central to the Creator’s plan” in both life on Earth and eternally. According to Mormons, following God’s plan, “enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave,” and for, “families to be united eternally,” (Hinckley, 1995). The family is the fundamental and most valued aspect of a Mormons’ time in the physical world. The Proclamation’s emphasis on the family illustrates the exceptional significance that the family unit holds within their belief system. The individuals within the system and their adherence to Church standards of living are also exceptionally imperative, these behaviors are ultimately judged by God and determine whether or not each member of the family will live eternally in the highest level of Heaven, and therefore remain together eternally.

Within the First Commandment of the Proclamation, members are reminded that the, “sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and women, lawfully wedded as husband and wife,” (Hinckley, 1995). In other words, in order to uphold God’s desire for procreation of His children, a man and a woman must marry and have children together. The Proclamation does not leave possibility for alternative family structures open. It simply outlines the necessity for members to uphold traditional, heterosexual family units as the only acceptable option. The accentuated importance of the central family unit sets the foundation for the importance of the roles of the individual members within the family unit.

**Gender Differences**
The Proclamation speaks to the topic of gender, claiming it to be, “an essential characteristic of every individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose,” (Hinckley, 1995). In other words, LDS members are born into the physical world with a predetermined gender that was assigned to them by God when they were spirits. With this pre-assignment of gender, comes a specific set of duties that must be carried out in order to remain with your family eternally- the ultimate goal.

When describing the makeup of the family, the doctrine states that “fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners,” (Hinckley, 1995). The majority of Mormons understand this statement to reaffirm that the Church views and treats men and women equally. They argue that the use of the word “equal” solidifies any claims against the idea that men are held in higher regard. However, the doctrine also lays out the precise differences between men and women’s roles: “By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children,” (Hinckley, 1995). The perpetuation of traditional gender roles by the Mormon Church is disputed by many to directly oppose this claim of equality made by supporting members. How is it that a system that doesn't allow for choice or exploration of talents or strengths outside of motherhood, is considered equal?

For most LDS members, it is inherently understood that there are simply different responsibilities for men and women, as predetermined during their premortal existence as spirits (Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 2012). Man is seen as the giver of life and the woman is viewed producer of life. It is argued that although the roles are different, one cannot exist without the other; therefore, one is not more important than the other. As well, since the family is so crucial to the Mormon existence, each and every role fulfilled in creating the family is intrinsically vital. Additionally, it can be debated that in today’s society it seems to be assumed that a woman is “not complete” unless she can do everything a man can do. In the LDS Church, they claim to see women as being equal in life and the afterlife. Individuals may believe that one role is more important than the other, but Mormons do not believe that God thinks this (Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 2012).

What Mormons Believe About Women Video

The Mormon Church has many times taken a public stand to defend “traditional family values.” In the 1970s and 1980s the Church [|publically opposed the proposed Equal Rights Amendment], calling it a moral issue with serious implications that challenged law that “safeguarded the family” (Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 2012). According to the official doctrine proclaimed by the Church, the Amendment would make it more difficult for wives and mothers to remain at home. The verbiage used to relay this argument places the central focus on the homemaking and caretaking duties of women in the Church. It fails to even acknowledge additional and infinite possibilities for women outside the home and incidentally asserts that they belong only in the home.
 * Equal Rights Amendment **

**Eve’s Sins**
Critics argue that, “‘Women, although equivalent in the image of God, nevertheless symbolize the lower self, representing this in their physical, sexual nature …Woman in her essential nature is seen as having less of the higher spiritual nature and more of the lower physical nature,” (Kline, 2014). Rather, though God may view women as equal in duty to men, the men of the church view women as less in various other ways. In reference to the spiritual nature of women, it has been argued that, “because of Eve’s decision to eat the fruit, woman, lost her original equality and became inferior in mind and body,” (Kline, 2014). This is coupled with messages from an influential nineteenth century Mormon leader, George Cannon, who defended polygamy and maintained that women were able to redeem themselves from Eve’s sin by taking part in plural marriage and expressing the innate desire within them, which stems from Eve’s desire for the fruit, to their husbands (Kline, 2014). This suggests that women must repeatedly pay for Eve’s wrong decision, and must do so with the payment directed to men. Such a view creates a distinction between genders. Not only are women viewed as perpetually in the wrong, but men are allowed to reap the benefits of women’s repayment, instead of it being directed to God.

In the twentieth century, LDS rhetoric attempted to pull away from the association with polygamy and worked to dispel some of the implications of women’s need pay for Eve’s sins. For example, the biblical story began to be shared as Eve’s “transgression” instead of her “sin,” (Kline, 2014). The small yet effective modification of the wording helped to lessen the negative connotations of the story. Furthermore, Mormons began to highlight the result of Eve’s action, calling it a “sacrifice” and necessary in order to bring life into the world and allow all future women to do the same (Kline, 2014; Park, 2013). In this manner, the previously-shamed and devious choice is framed as a heroic personal sacrifice in order help mankind. However progressive and positive these changes may seem it is important to note the paradox between the two centuries. A change in the rhetoric was enlisted for a very specific reason, one that previously denied by the Church- women had been perceived to be viewed as intrinsic sinners and were thus treated as such.

** A Change Throughout Time **
Historically, women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints were able to carry out practices that are currently reserved for male priesthood holders. However, as the Church developed and progressed into establishing its "place in society," it pushed the previous women leaders aside, so as to align with the current sociocultural norms of the time (Park, 2013). The [|publications] put forth by the Church reflected (and continue to reflect) the changing needs and thus ideals of the Church. Between 1897 and 1940, the Church publications encouraged women to marry and have large families, while still participating activities like political leadership, formal education, and wage labor (Vance, 2002). Once the Church established itself and was able to sustain membership, women’s roles were redirected back into the domestic realm for their primary responsibilities. Though the verbiage allowed for women to enter the labor force, this was and is currently viewed as a “necessary evil” only to be undertaken to best serve the family (Vance, 2002).

=References= Hinckley, P. G. (1995, September 23). The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation

Intellectual Reserve, Inc. (2012). //The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints//. Retrieved from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: https://www.lds.org/?lang=eng

Intellectual Reserve, Inc. (2012). //What LDS Members Believe//. Retrieved from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: http://www.mormon.org

Kline, C. (2014). The Mormon Conception of Women's Nature and Role: A Feminist Analysis. //Feminist Theology, 22//(2), 186-202. doi:10.1177/0966735013507856

Park, B. E. (2013). Early Mormon Patriarchy and the Paradoxes of Democratic Religiosity in Jacksonian America. //American Nineteenth Century History, 14//(2), 183-208. doi:10.1080/14664658.2013.785194

Vance, L. (2002). Evolution of Ideals for Women in Mormon Periodicals, 1897-1999. //Sociology of Religion, 63//(1), 91-112.