Comments on: On gender equality and Mormon feminism

By: mormonwomen

mormonwomen — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 07:24:03 +0000

Mostly a Martha, stay tuned. More to come! 😉

Kaylie, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

And Bonnie, I’m really glad you included your link; I was going to email you and give you a heads-up about this given our recent conversation…hoped to have your voice in the discussion!

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 05:30:58 +0000

We just had a conversation about this at my blog this week and I agree with your quotes wholeheartedly. There is a wide range of opinions out there about what a woman should be, and therefore what equality should be, but within that I think we can all agree that our Heavenly Father loves women equally with men and that we should do so mortally as well. Like most things, we get to figure out how on our own!

By: Kaylie

Kaylie — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:00:44 +0000

I think every woman who does use the label of “feminist” ends up probably meaning something a little different. Exactly! I consider myself a feminist, but I think, like so many other labels, the term can be confusing. Part of the problem is that those who claim the title of feminist are divided amongst themselves at times, and different movements or schools of thought within feminism have their own labels as well. I’ve reading a book right now, actually, that discusses the ways feminism sometimes fails to be inclusive. But though feminism has its flaws, women owe many debts to the amazing work of feminists past and present, without whom women would have few rights at all.

Once you use a label such as feminist, people think they know exactly what you mean by that word because it conjures up a picture in their heads. But often, those pictures are usually based on stereotypes–bra burning, anyone? I think the same thing can happen when you use the word “Mormon”, too. So many of us don’t fit a certain mold, stereotype, or ideal, but we do share certain things in common, the most obvious of which is a choice to belong to the same religion.

Yes, I’m a feminist because I believe women should be treated with respect as human beings and should be valued not just for their roles (though those matter, too), but for themselves. I believe Heavenly Father loves men and women equally. Yet I’m Mormon, and I believe in it, and that’s my choice. To me, that’s what true feminism means. It’s not saying you can’t be a feminist if you belong to this certain group or make that certain choice. True feminism, in my mind, means you’re free to make choices and to be valued for who you are.

By: Mostly a Martha

Mostly a Martha — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:13:06 +0000

Michelle,

Thanks for the shout out! I enjoyed our discussion and look forward to reading more about your thoughts.

Martha