Orthodoxy and Female Sexuality: An Examination of the Mormon Experience
Loading...
Authors
Rose, Rachelle Anne
Issue Date
2004
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Sexuality is an important part of most people's lives, including those with orthodox religious beliefs. Religion has been an area of culture often left unexplored in the psychological literature. Previous studies have found that women who are more religiously orthodox utilize their religion more frequently in decision-making (Alwin, 1986; Bassett, Smith, Newell, & Richards, 1999; Davidson & Moore, 1994; Danso, Hunsberger, & Pratt, 1997; Rothbaum & Jackson, 1990). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the fastest-growing religions in the world and boasts over 11 million members worldwide (Avant & Hughes, 2000). There has been little to no research available on Orthodox women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Based on limited research this study focused on the question: "What is the sexual experience of women who identify as orthodox Mormon?" This study was limited to persons who identified themselves as Orthodox members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon Church. Converts to the Mormon Church were not utilized. The methodology chosen for this study was Descriptive Phenomenology, due to limited available information and the failure of previous quantitative studies to reach significant results. Four married Orthodox Mormon women over the age of 18 were interviewed. The interview focused on three main questions with follow-up questions used to add depth of understanding to their experiences. The goal of the analysis was to create a synthesized description of these women's experiences around sexuality. Surprisingly, the women had limited to no available memories for a Standards Night event, though all had attended more than one. Overall, the women held positive views of their sexual experiences. Less positive experiences tended to be the result of more traditional beliefs about sexuality. For example, all the women held the belief that men have a greater need for sex than women. These beliefs seemed related to the patriarchal hierarchy, and not to actual religious doctrine or teachings. However, all the women related these beliefs to their religious teachings and their roles as wives.