Latina Mormons’ Migration, Marriage, and Motherhood Experiences in the U.S. Southwest

Women of Latin American descent comprise at least 20% of the nearly seventeen million members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also known as the Mormon or LDS Church). This dissertation study examines the lives of 69 Latina immigrant Mormon mothers living in the U.S. Southwest. With qualitative interviews, participant observation, and Photovoice (community-driven, participant-based photo collection), I investigated how race, ethnicity, gender, geography, legal status, and religion shape women's migration, marriage, and mothering decisions. Chapter One shows how Latina immigrants experienced ethno-racial belonging, exclusion, and social positionality. An "ethnoreligious hybridity" concept explains how Latinas adopted Mormonism alongside their racial and ethnic identities. Chapter Two examines participants' perceptions within Spanish-speaking LDS congregations. Latina Mormons perceived these worship spaces as beneficial for social networking, cultural preservation, and family support. There were tensions among LDS Latinx due to class differences, colorism, migration statuses, and historical political climates. I coined “congregational heterophily” to describe this congregational heterogeneity and diversity. Chapter Three examines women's dating and marriage practices by race, class, and immigration status. The Mormon Latinas in my study preferred marriage to other Latinos or co-ethnics. Ethnocentrism, racism, and gendered expectations can strain pan ethnic Latinx LDS partnerships. Another third had married white Mormon men. The relationship between Latinas and their white in-laws was often fraught with racial aggression and cultural clashes. Across Chapter Four, I examine how immigration status, culture, and race affect women's mothering. Latina Mormons is expected to be devout church members who excel at motherhood. Women felt pressure to provide social, spiritual, and financial support even after their children were adults. As a result of intersectional disadvantages caused by race, legal status, and gender, Latina Mormon immigrants experience increased maternal stress. Leaders, church members, and other mothers stigmatize Latinas when they do not meet church and motherhood expectations. I used "matriarchal policing” to describe these religious pressures and frequent social monitoring. Collectively, the results of this ethnographic study challenge stereotypes about Mormonism and add to academic knowledge about gendered migration, marriage, and motherhood while providing institutional and community solutions.