Mormon Motherhood: Choice or Destiny? General Relief Society president Julie Beck caused a storm of protest among some LDS women who understood her General Conference talk as a call for them to return to, remain in, or prepare for the traditional role of motherhood. In a press conference, new Young Women president Elaine Dalton was asked about statistics indicating 80 percent of single Mormon women ages 18 to 30 are not active in the LDS Church. The reaction to Beck’s talk and the inactivity of single women may be connected to changing perceptions of motherhood. To what extent is the role of mother prescribed and scripted for Mormon women? Does the Church offer other models for shaping women’s identity?

Lorie Winder, Margaret Toscano, Emily Benton, Janet Garrard-Willis