Feminists in the Mormon Faith

by Emily Hudson

Sitting in her home office, a one-room building separate from the noise and the tumult of a house full of toddlers, Janet Garrard-Willis took a moment away from working on her dissertation to talk about something that means a lot to her—feminism.

Willis is a mother, a teacher, a feminist and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormons. All her life she’s been comfortable with the term “feminist.” She has been active in pushing for gender equity since her college days at Brigham Young University and through her contributions to the popular blog, Feminist Mormon Housewives.

“Part of my fun with the blog has been serving as a bridge between people who are angry and people who are being misunderstood,” Willis said. “I think I’m the wuss of the blog!”

Though Willis has been suffering with illness these last few years, she hasn’t lost her sense of humor. As she fumbled with the papers on her desk she mentioned that the idea of feminism in the Mormon church often causes conflict. She calls this unnecessary conflict “The Mommy Wars.”

“The biggest feminist problem in the church isn’t between men and women, it’s between the women and women,” Willis said. 
“There’s a divide among the stay-at-home and the working moms.”

Willis has noticed that the tension between these two groups is created when they begin to feel threatened by each others life choices, thinking that one must be right and the other must be wrong. According to Willis, that simply isn’t the case.

“The whole point of the church is that we’re supposed to be helping each other,” Willis said. “If we all had the same skills we would be boring! We need to respect each other’s limitations as women.”

Willis brought up Paul’s New Testament body metaphor, saying that we all have different roles to play. Without all of the different parts the body wouldn’t function.

Though she is a victim of rape and was almost kicked out of school for supposedly lying when she accused the man who had attacked her, Willis isn’t bitter or angry. Throughout our conversation she emphasized the importance of respecting women’s choices as she laughed about the idea of feminism being the “F” word in Mormon culture. She thought it was ridiculous that the word would elicits such a negative knee-jerk reaction in people.

“If you use the ‘F’ word people freak out,” Willis acknowledged. ”It’s unfortunate, because what woman in the room doesn’t like to vote?” 

As we spoke she mentioned the three distinct feminist movements over the years, referred to as the first, second and third wave.

According to Cheryl B. Preston, author of the article “Not letting Patriarchy or Feminism Destroy our Faith,” first wave feminism arose in the 19th century and dealt mainly with equal opportunities and suffrage for women.

Second wave feminism was prominent from the 1960s to the 1970s and came about as a response to perceived oppression of groups such as blacks, homosexuals and women. This is the wave most often associated with feminism since most church members grew up during its most prominent years, and because its advocates were so radical and socially outrageous.

Third wave feminism is where we are today. This feminism challenges the notion of a universal type of womanhood. A third-wave feminist says that she is a unique individual who will make unique choices. 

This feminism also encourages ambiguity and individualism. It is a difficult wave of feminism to define and classify because it means so many different things to so many people.

But, the most important aspect of this third wave, is that it advocates that women’s choices be respected as unique decisions.
The third wave of feminism is the wave with which most Mormon women identify since it encourages a personal application of feminist beliefs that fit their individual lives. The Mormon faith places a huge emphasis on family, so Mormon women can express and empower themselves within the role of an active mother, if that is what they choose.

In other words, the third wave of feminism allows for feminist Mormon housewives. Women can continue to progress and value themselves from their homes if that is where they choose to stay.

In August of 1993, Bruce C. Hafen addressed Brigham Young University students during his stint as provost of the university.
In this talk he spoke about the multiple facets of feminism. He mentioned that many forms of feminism “emphasize the unique dimensions of women’s experiences and perspectives. They also seek to broaden society’s governing paradigms to include such female values as nurturing, cooperation and personal relationships.”

Cindy Brewer is one such feminist. Just over five feet, Cindy’s personality immediately fills the room and embraces you as you walk into her warm, yet hectic home. 

As a mother of seven and a full-time professor at Brigham Young University, Cindy leads a full life. She is what some people would call a super-woman. She got married before she got her bachelor’s degree, but still graduated from BYU. At the same time as she and her husband began to expand their family, she earned her graduate degree, and as she walked across the stage to accept her doctorate, she was trailed by four small children plus one on the way. 

She is a dedicated mother and professor, and she is unshakable in her faith. She is out to show all good men and women in her faith, that even though they may cringe at the word, they are probably feminists.

“Anyone who believes that women with the same qualifications should get the same pay as a man in the same position as her is a feminist,” said Brewer. “Anyone who believes in equality regardless of a person’s gender, race or social class is a feminist.”

Brewer spoke candidly as we discussed the implications of her being both a feminist and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One of the biggest issues, she said, was that people don’t understand what it means to be a feminist. Many church members think of feminists as the radical, man-haters of the 70s, but that, Brewer said, is an unfortunate fallacy.

She identified the portrayal of feminism in the popular media as the main reason for the confusion.

“The portrayal of feminism by the mass media is in some ways the same as the portrayal of Mormonism,” Brewer explained. “When the popular media talks about Mormons all you hear about is polygamy, and when they talk about feminists all you hear about are the radicals. They have elements of truth, but it’s usually distorted.”

She emphasized that neither radical feminists nor polygamist Mormons are representative of the majority of either group. Mainstream Mormonism abandoned the practice of polygamy in the late 1800s. And, though it is only a few members of small factions that separated from the Mormon church around 1890 who continue to practice polygamy today, plural marriage is still heavily associated with members of the Mormon faith. 

In comparison, there are a few women in the world who live lives of radical second wave feminist standards. Yet no matter how small that percentage of people remains, it is what people generally associate with the word feminism.

“Because women aren’t burning their bras, bashing men, and living angry lives, they don’t realize that they are feminists,” Brewer laughed. “I think a lot of men don’t realize that they’re feminists as well.”

Feminism, Patriarchy and Mormonism

Since the flame of feminism was lit in the women’s suffrage movement, feminism has meant different things to different people. To Brewer, feminism is all about equality and mutual respect, not radicalism.

“I’m a follower of Jesus Christ and that’s much more radical,” Brewer exclaimed. “When the world taught that power was everything, Christ said ‘Blessed are the meek.’ He taught that hierarchies were a worldly thing.”

Brewer said that if you think more power means that you’re better than someone else, you couldn’t be more mistaken. She talked about Christ’s meek and gentle attributes, the way he served everyone regardless of gender or nationality and how he spoke to and healed both men and women equally.

Christ taught that people in powerful positions are no greater than the lowliest person on the earth. “In that way, I think Christ was a feminist,” Brewer said.

Brewer has strong convictions about the truthfulness of the church and believes her feminism to completely coincide with Mormon doctrine. 

There are some women in the Mormon church who believe they should be allowed to hold positions as bishops and even prophets. They want to be given the priesthood because the men are given the priesthood. Brewer seemed to be unconcerned with that line of thinking.

“Sure, I think women in leadership positions could help things, but I just don’t think that’s what it’s about,” she said. “The core of the gospel is about individual responsibility.”

Brewer acknowledged that many of her friends outside of her faith criticize the church about the established, male-dominated leadership, but it doesn’t sway her in her beliefs or her feminism.

“What about the structure of the church is gospel and what is culture? I don’t know and I don’t care,” Brewer said. “I don’t think the church is about perfect people. It’s not about hierarchies, it’s about believing in Christ.”

As for women and the priesthood, Brewer doesn’t see how anyone who understands the gospel of Christ could think that it gives men a greater intrinsic worth.

“They aren’t higher than me, not by virtue of the priesthood or their calling,” Brewer stated adamantly. “Christ said it makes them my servant.”

Education, Careers and the Family

The concept of the family is central to the doctrine of the Mormon church. Within this doctrine Mormons believe that ideally, men and women have specific roles to play when it comes to raising and supporting a family.

According to the written statement by church leaders, “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” men are to be fathers and are responsible for providing the necessities of life and protection for their families. Women are therefore called to be mothers who are primarily responsible for nurturing their children. 

“In these sacred responsibilities,” the Proclamation states, “fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation.”

Some women in the church, who have feminist tendencies, seem to have a problem with this statement, perhaps because they do not truly understanding its intention.

In 2005, Cecil O. Samuelson, president of Brigham Young University, talked with BYU women in the physics and science majors and encouraged them in their path of education.

As he spoke about “The Proclamation,” he shared with his female audience his feelings on what it teaches. 

Samuelson explained that the document was a declaration of the ideal, not a demand that all men and women everywhere adhere to its dictates regardless of their situations.

“Do the brethren not know that many or perhaps even most do not live in perfect or ideal family situations? Of course they do,” Samuelson said. “They also know that it is important to keep the ideal before us so that we can make the best approximations to the ideal that our individual circumstances allow.”

He encouraged his audience to ignore those who would criticize them and avoid the naysayers. People should proceed through their lives based on the personal directions they receive from the Lord.

Samuelson is not the only member of the church to encourage women to get educations and live lives specific to their personal revelations.

Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the church from 1995 until his death in 2008, counseled the women of the church to be strong and motivated.

“If you will take control of your lives, the future is filled with opportunity and gladness,” Hinckley said. “You cannot afford to waste your talents or your time.”

In a talk titled “Daughters of God,” Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said there is no perfect way to be a good mother. He acknowledged that every family’s situation is different. Some women will have to work, some women will want to work and will divide their time between their family and their job.

“What matters,” he said, “is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else.”

President Samuelson told his female audience that the choices of what to do with this life were theirs, but that no matter what they chose, they would have to live with the consequences.

“One of the questions that seems to be at the crux of many of your concerns is the issue, ‘Do I have to give up everything else important to me to become (you fill in the blank)?’” Samuelson said. “My short answer is no. But that is also my same short answer when I am asked, ‘Can I have it all and still be a (again you fill in the blank)?’”

Feminist thought, which advocates of equality and mutual respect for all of God’s children, is not an enemy of Mormon doctrine. Instead, it empowers faithful Mormon women like Janet Garrard-Willis and Cindy Brewer, and gives them the power to develop and express their individuality as strong members of their faith and adamant feminists. Both beliefs have blessed their families and their homes by helping them to be well rounded, encouraging and confident wives, mothers and employees.