An Investigation of Patriarchal Authority in the Mormon Family

The purposes of the study were: 'to ascertain (1) the nature of the concepts of patriarchal authority held by the M & F heads of 30 Mormon families (60 s's); (2) the extent to which patriarchal authority has been exercised in the daily lives of the S's, & insofar as the data were obtainable, in the lives of the S's parents; & (3) whether there has occurred any increase or decrease in the authority exercised from the previous generation to the present.' The S's had at least 2 children & their parents were or had been Mormons. The (mean - average) age of the husbands was 33.4 yrs & of the wives, 29.7 yrs. A personal interview with husbands & wives together was used to collect the data. The information concerning the previous generation was obtained by having each S compare himself or herself with his or her parents. Patriarchal authority is still considered by contemporary Mormons to be a Divine endowment in this & the next life as the system of family gov. However, the father or husband as the family patriarch seemed to be more a religious figurehead than the actual controller of family affairs. Though patriarchal authority is most universally exercised in religion, there are indications of shared control in most family matters. There has been a decrease in patriarchal authority between the previous & present generations, though this decrease has probably not been as marked as for US society as a whole. W. W. Ehrmann.