Why I can't Stop Reading Mormon Mommy Blogs.

[Moliere]

Has the married LDS female profile changed from "some have bachelors degrees" and stay at home to raise a family to "many have bachelors or advanced degrees" and stay at home to rasie a family or have a professional carreer and raise a family?

It's funny you say this because I struggled with the correct term to use in my post. I settled on "some" but I first typed "many". I have no idea the percentage, but in my ward alone it seems that the % of women with degrees is higher than your average collection of women.

My main point though was that these women are educated and yet they still find enjoyment in bearing and raising children. They do other things to stimulate the mind (some write books, make crafts, read books, etc.), but going to a Phd program or being the executive at a large company is not something that would add more fulfillment to their lives.

[FMCoug]

The most insightful paragraph in the entire article:

Of course, the larger question is, are these women's lives really as sweet and simple as they appear? Blogs have always been a way to mediate and prettify your own life; you'd be a fool to compare your real self to someone else's carefully arranged surface self. And Mormons are particularly famous for their "put on a happy face" attitude. The church teaches that the Gospel is the only authentic path to true happiness. So if you're a faithful follower, you better be happy, right?

[kccougar]

It's funny you say this because I struggled with the correct term to use in my post. I settled on "some" but I first typed "many". I have no idea the percentage, but in my ward alone it seems that the % of women with degrees is higher than your average collection of women.

My main point though was that these women are educated and yet they still find enjoyment in bearing and raising children. They do other things to stimulate the mind (some write books, make crafts, read books, etc.), but going to a Phd program or being the executive at a large company is not something that would add more fulfillment to their lives.

I believe every woman I know in my ward under the age of 40 has at least a bachelor's degree.

Edit: I just looked up two on FB that I had doubts about. One doesn't list college, and the other lists SLCC.

[Paperback Writer]

It's funny you say this because I struggled with the correct term to use in my post. I settled on "some" but I first typed "many". I have no idea the percentage, but in my ward alone it seems that the % of women with degrees is higher than your average collection of women.

My main point though was that these women are educated and yet they still find enjoyment in bearing and raising children. They do other things to stimulate the mind (some write books, make crafts, read books, etc.), but going to a Phd program or being the executive at a large company is not something that would add more fulfillment to their lives.

Thanks for the clarification. I do think the percentages of LDS women with college degress is on the rise and has been for some time. It's related to economic necessity and career opportunity. I wonder if the "average collection of LDS women" is more or less educated than the "average collection of women in other demographic groups". I think LDS women would compare favorably.

The fulfillment part is highly individual but I think on a macro level your point is probably on target about LDS women finding fulfillment outside academia or corporate America. But everyone is different. I remember hearing a conversation between my wife and the other RS counselor about how happy she was to leave her law firm (she was an attorney) to stay home with her two children (one a newborn) and my wife stating how happy she was with her new, demanding job because she loved it and felt lucky it came at a point in her life when her kids were older and she could handle it. The funny part was that neither one of the husbands felt fulfilled or happy in their jobs but were happy that our wives were happy.

[TripletDaddy]

I believe every woman I know in my ward under the age of 40 has at least a bachelor's degree.

Edit: I just looked up two on FB that I had doubts about. One doesn't list college, and the other lists SLCC.

My anecdotal experience has been similar. The old notion of "I dropped out of school when I got pregnant" seems to be a quickly-growing relic of the past. In fact, I don't think a single woman in my wife's circle of friends did not graduate from college.

Of course, part of that can be attributed to the fact that my wife asks all new acquaintances whether they graduated from college and then ignores them if they did not finish their degree.

[Jacob]

I believe every woman I know in my ward under the age of 40 has at least a bachelor's degree.

Edit: I just looked up two on FB that I had doubts about. One doesn't list college, and the other lists SLCC.

And more family debt than in the past.

[Mrs. Funk]

My anecdotal experience has been similar. The old notion of "I dropped out of school when I got pregnant" seems to be a quickly-growing relic of the past. In fact, I don't think a single woman in my wife's circle of friends did not graduate from college.

Of course, part of that can be attributed to the fact that my wife asks all new acquaintances whether they graduated from college and then ignores them if they did not finish their degree.

I prefer your wife's kind of questioning to the fifty times I heard, "So how many kids do you have?" when first we moved into our new ward.

[kccougar]

I prefer your wife's kind of questioning to the fifty times I heard, "So how many kids do you have?" when first we moved into our new ward.

Nothing unusual there. It's also one of the very first questions I'm asked when introduced to someone new, even in a work setting. It's easy small-talk.

[Mrs. Funk]

Nothing unusual there. It's also one of the very first questions I'm asked when introduced to someone new, even in a work setting. It's easy small-talk.

I don't disagree. Perhaps it was the sheer quantity of times I heard this question in the first month or so at church, and had to give the, "Nope, no kids yet!" speech. And sometimes, followed up with the question, "But wait, how long have you been married?" which in some instances was a clear implication that we had been married "long enough" without kids.

[snowcat]

Has the married LDS female profile changed from "some have bachelors degrees" and stay at home to raise a family to "many have bachelors or advanced degrees" and stay at home to rasie a family or have a professional carreer and raise a family?

I think the stereotype is just plain wrong. I am older than most on the board. My three sisters all have bachelor or higher degrees. My wife is degreed. My oldest (a daughter) is just finishing her degree and is contemplating graduate school. I can't think of any of my LDS female friends who do not have a degree.

[Jacob]

I think the stereotype is just plain wrong. I am older than most on the board. My three sisters all have bachelor or higher degrees. My wife is degreed. My oldest (a daughter) is just finishing her degree and is contemplating graduate school. I can't think of any of my LDS female friends who do not have a degree.

My wife has a degree. My sister does not, nor does my mother. One sister in law does, one doesn't. All are very successful. I can think of loads of Mormon wives and mothers without degrees. And it makes absolutely no difference to me whether they do or don't.

And, of course, when you get to the lower classes, you find a much higher percentage of mormon and non-mormon women without degrees. I'd guess that the trend among mormon women is similar to the recent trend among non-mormon women. In my wife's family, the women who married college guys, got degrees and those who didn't, didn't. Coincidentally, the college guys all happen to be mormons and the non-mormon spouses tend to not have degrees. But I think it has more to do with class/poverty level than religion in this case.

[SloanHater]

My favorite

Recruiting tools

You do know these blogs are recruiting tools right? These women and there photos may not even be real. A few years ago they named a former advertising exec to head the church [advertising] and since then they launched a huge new "Alternative advertising campaign" last year to target new markets and are looking for ways to go "Viral." Like I tell my daughter, never assume what you read on the internet is the truth unless you can verify the sources yourself.

He really is a great guy and brilliant. He's the one behind the great, new Mormon.org.

[TripletDaddy]

My wife has a degree. My sister does not, nor does my mother. One sister in law does, one doesn't. All are very successful. I can think of loads of Mormon wives and mothers without degrees. And it makes absolutely no difference to me whether they do or don't.

Really? It makes no difference to you whether women have furthered their education? I think you may have phrased that poorly.

[Jacob]

Really? It makes no difference to you whether women have furthered their education? I think you may have phrased that poorly.

That's right. Maybe I phrased it poorly or you simply misunderstand. I don't judge a person based upon whether they finished their degree. It doesn't matter to me. I was contrasting this with your previous statement that you wife shuns the non degree holders. I judge a person based upon the content of their character, and whether they annoy me.

[Moliere]

I prefer your wife's kind of questioning to the fifty times I heard, "So how many kids do you have?" when first we moved into our new ward.

Not that I think the question is entirely okay to ask, especially when you just met someone, but it is a litmus question for determining orthodoxy and obedience. I'm not saying it's a good litmus question, it's just one that people ask a lot at church and it has subconscious implications depending on how you answer. It's also a question that is relevant to find out who to incorporate into organized playgroups and a way to connect with people.

I do like your idea and will probably start asking women where they went to college before I ask about children.