What women want

Yesterday I attended the most interesting lecture at our monthly women's gathering (Cleofon.) It was entitled "Understanding and communicating with women: research on the attitudes of LDS women" and it was given by a woman who has a list of credentials as long as my arm. She is an LDS woman who has been researching women's issues for over 30 years along with a long list of other research topics. She lived in Washington DC for many years and spent a decade in the Phoenix area. She brought such an interesting perspective to the gathering as she shared her insights and findings. I wish I could recap them here. I requested a copy of her notes and if I get them, I'll share some of her findings in a future post.
The gist of her lecture was about the self-worth of women and how it impacts their choices, particularly Mormon women. The same facts hold true across all religious lines however. Women want to be appreciated and needed. They want to connect with people and with a higher source. They want to contribute and make the world a better place. It's about relationships and finding out who they really are and how they can make something of themselves and be fulfilled.
She quoted past LDS president Spencer W. Kimball. He said in November of 1979:
"Righteous women will cause major Church growth. Finally, my dear sisters, may I suggest to you something that has not been said before or at least in quite this way. Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the church are seen as distinct and different - in happy ways - from the women of the world. Among the real heroines in the world who will come into the church are the women who are more concerned with being righteous that with being selfish."

One way this is happening is through blogging. Enter mommy blogs (as they're called.) There was an article in the DNews last week on this very topic: Mormon mommy blogs immensely popular beyond LDS sphere. I quote: "Self-proclaimed feminist and atheist Emily Matchar recently wrote for Salon about her "addiction" to such blogs, calling them strangely uplifting and even encouraging. Indeed, Mormon bloggers ... make marriage and motherhood seem, well, fun. Easy. Joyful," Matchar wrote. "These women seem relaxed and untouched by cynicism. It's not that (my friend) or I want to quit our jobs to bake brownies or sew kiddie Halloween costumes. It's just that for (my friend), Mormon blogs are an escapist fantasy, a way to imagine a sweeter, simpler life...But the basic messages expressed in these blogs -- family is wonderful, life is meant to be enjoyed, celebrate the small things -- are still lovely. And if they help women like me envision a life in which marriage and motherhood could potentially be something other than a miserable, soul-destroying trap, I say, "Right on." I won't be inviting the missionaries inside for hot cocoa now or ever, but I don't plan on stopping my blog habit any time soon."

Some LDS mommy blogs are superficial and present only the best of everything. Some aren't real. Some cause jealousies and some take women away from their families. It can become addictive as women connect with others. But for the most part, I think LDS mommy blogs present a look into a life style that is rewarding and pleasant to the writers, especially when they present themselves warts and all. The blogs are showing the world that LDS women sincerely love what they do and are happy for the most part being wives and mothers and in contributing to the future through their good choices because life IS meant to be enjoyed.