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power structures in polygamist households
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Alarms went off as I read last Friday’s AP report: The principal of the
Gloucester (Massachusetts) High School had announced the results of an
investigation into the spike in teen pregnancy, seventeen this year as
compared to an average of four in other years. It seems that a group
of girls made a pact to get pregnant. None of the girls were over
sixteen, and in visits to the clinic, they seemed more upset to find
that they weren’t pregnant than to find that they were. One teen
listed the father of her unborn child as a homeless man. The
administrators described them as “girls who lack self-esteem and have a
lack of love in their life.” 
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In the case of fundamentalists, if agencies would teach the FLDS people
to live in the mainstream by providing them with financial skills,
knowledge about housing, vocational counseling, etc., many FLDS members
would probably leave the YFZ Ranch and other FLDS communities on their
own. Many of these fundamentalists have lived with “mind-forged
manacles,” imprisoned by religious leaders who kept them from receiving
education and from making their own decisions. They have been denied
the American right to “pursuit of happiness” and like everyone, they
long for freedom. If such a life-skills investment could be made, the
bill would amount to far less than the $14 million spent ineffectively
trying to eradicate this stubborn and devout population. If the
fundamentalists knew that they were free and capable, they’d put their
energy into building their own lives instead of adamantly defending
themselves.Posted in:
Recently,
FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop objected to the “profiling” of polygamists
by law enforcement personnel. I understand concerns about profiling;
one reason I began writing was to erase the caricatures of polygamists
entertained by the general public and replace these stereotypes with
the experiences of real people who live a stanch and often harrowing
way of life. But I can’t fault law enforcement officers for
circulating a list of “people to watch” because polygamists have
revealed a capacity for intimidating and even violent behavior.Posted in:
Meredith called yesterday morning, having found my contact information
through the Utah/Arizona Safety Net Committee of which I’m proud to be
a part. She’s a Texan by birth but now lives with her husband in the
beautiful northwest. She’s been riveted by the drama unfolding in her
home state as the children of the YFZ Ranch are flung far and wide. In
response to her horror (about the secret world of polygamy), Meredith
has taken the time to educate herself, reading everything she can get
her hands on about the subject. She’s dismayed that women who have
tried to leave the FLDS community have suffered so much without getting
adequate help. She’s concluded that any young woman who’s being forced
into marriage should have the freedom and safety to leave the
fundamentalist group that’s pushing her around. She also sees the
reverberations of massive state intervention. So she wants to do
something about it. She doesn’t just talk the talk. She’s willing to
walk the walk, putting her own comfort and resources on the line.
She’s offering a guesthouse on her property where women with children
can stay long enough to “get launched” and stand on their own.Posted in:
Some of you may have seen the women interviewed by reporters, including
Oprah and Lisa See at the YFZ Ranch. Did you wonder why these
particular women were chosen to speak? Given what I’ve learned about
women who represent the fundamentalist community, I can conclude that
Janet, Amy and Sally are reliable supporters of the patriarchal
hierarchy. They have proven themselves, therefore they have as much
political clout as a fundamentalist woman can have. They can be trusted
to speak the party line no matter what questions are asked. Acceptable
communication goes something like this: ‘Everything at the YFZ Ranch
and in the FLDS Church is wonderful. My husband is wonderful. My
sisters are wonderful. Our children are wonderful. Our prophet is a
good, clean, pure man. He teaches us how to be good and clean and
pure. Young teenagers who marry choose it, and they are well taken care
of—in fact (Janet implied) especially taken care of. (Do even
fundamentalist young women cultivate Sugar Daddies?)ADVERTISEMENT
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About the Authors
Dorothy Allred Solomon is the twentieth-eighth of forty-eight children born to polygamist leader Dr. Rulon C. Allred and his fourth wife. She is the author of several books about her upbringing, including In My Father's House (Franklin Watts, 1984) and Daughter of the Saints (W.W. Norton, 2004), the latter winning the WILLA award for memoir. The paperback version of her latest book, The Sisterhood: Inside the Lives of Mormon Women (Palgrave, 2007) will hit bookstore shelves in October.
Ten books ago I was a single girl, living in the city and running around looking for my Mr. Right. One Mr. not-right-in-the-slightest, four children, a move across the Atlantic and numerous houses later, I've found both peace and happiness, and have been able to give that to my characters in The Beach House, a book that reflects where I am in my life now.
Find out how my life evolved from chick lit diva to single mom of four who unexpectedly found love again, and keep coming back to see where my current journey takes me.
Find out how my life evolved from chick lit diva to single mom of four who unexpectedly found love again, and keep coming back to see where my current journey takes me.
I'm an editorial assistant for Marie Claire, have an MFA in writing, and live in New York City's smallest apartment with New York City's largest dog.
Abigail Pesta is a journalist who has lived and worked around the world, from London to Hong Kong. A highlight from her travels: bar-hopping in Shanghai with a minor-league Mafioso in his hearse-like limo. A lowlight: getting attacked in Cambodia by swarms of flying cockroaches, each one the size of your thumb. She writes short-short stories for her website, Fine Words Butter No Parsnips.
Eileen Conlan is an assistant editor at Marie Claire. She lives in New York City, and loves cooking, reading and reviewing new books, and shopping the city for the perfect deal. She also has an affinity for traveling, and anything vintage, making the Hell's Kitchen flea market her favorite weekend haunt. Eileen is looking forward to finding new ways to save her pennies while encouraging you to do the same.
I'm an editorial assistant in the features department, I'm addicted to bad reality television, New York Times crossword puzzles (Monday only!) and figuring out how to save a little money in the country's most expensive city. I'm blogging about that too
Lauren is the articles editor at Marie Claire. She loves to obsess over politics, play soccer, and watch movies, not necessarily in that order. She can't imagine any human interaction that wouldn't be improved with a line from The Simpsons or Rushmore. She saved Latin� what did you ever do?
As Associate editor of the Radar section, I obsess daily over movies, television, celebrities and music. A southern girl at heart and Brooklyn by address, my skill set also extends into witty asides, vintage shopping, planning themed parties, brunching, entertaining, applying eyeliner, dancing, concocting bourbon mint iced tea, gift giving, movie quoting, coffee drinking and Elvis spotting. I love conversations that begin with "remember the time...", am still paying off my student loans (and then some), and have fallen madly in love with my DVR.
Yael Kohen is an associate editor. She loves to argue, deliberate and overanalyze everything from politics to relationships (to the politics of relationships) to books, movies and television.
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