Episode 149: The Many Social and Political Forces that Inform Ezra Taft Benson's Infamous "To the Mother's of Zion" Talk

This week on Latter Day Struggles we are diving into an address that rocked the worlds of many women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  The talk?  “To the Mother’s in Zion” given by Ezra Taft Benson clear back in 1987.  This talk became a sort of priesthood-directed “Mormon motherhood position statement” for all women of the church for several decades.

To say the very least, it made its mark on thousands of women during this era and beyond.

In today’s episode Valerie offers a truckload of VERY SIGNIFICANT context that will help each of us better understand the reasons for this heavy-handed mandate for women to stay in the home.  Some of the context addressed in this episode includes:

Historical issues that informed Benson’s stance (the Red Scare, the sexual revolution, the feminist movement, the civil rights movement)

The LDS church’s longing to achieve “in-group” status with the Christin conservative Right after a century of polygamy-induced shunning

The LDS church’s commitment to codified gender roles in an effort prevent the spread of homosexuality 

Benson’s own involvement in the ultra-conservative John Birch Society 

In FRIDAY’S episode, Valerie and friend and colleague Julie Hanks together walk through their own formative years as LDS girls and how this talk impacted them personally. They also jump into the address itself and talk about several sections from a psychological, spiritual, and relational health standpoint.  

Link to "To the Mother's of Zion" talk: https://emp.byui.edu/satterfieldb/pdf/tomothersofzion.pdf

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