Item Detail
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19715
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0
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0
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English
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The Social Networks of Mormon Women
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Columbia, South Carolina
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University of South Carolina
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Ph.D. Dissertation
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This study examines the social networks of some of the women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It documents the way a formal social network within the Church called visiting teaching operates, how women are assigned to other women within that network, and how the effectiveness of such ties varies. In particular, the religiosity of the women, their stage in the family life-cycle and social status affect participation within the network. The data analyzed are based on the membership at two LDS wards. Network analyses are based on all of the 293 participants. Questionnaire responses were received from 46% of these women. Statistical analyses focus on participation in the networks, measured with the network concepts of indegree and outdegree. The findings indicate that a woman's own educational attainment is not correlated with her activity in the network, yet her husband's educational attainment is. The number of children ever born to a woman is associated with an increase in participation in the network. The number of children who are currently living with the woman is only correlated with the number of visits she receives from others, and not the number of visits she initiates. Stage in the family life-cycle was not a significant predictor of participation in the network. Since this was largely an exploratory study on a formal social support network of Mormon women, directions for future research are suggested.