LEARNING PURITY: EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN GROWING UP CATHOLIC IN THE U.S. DEEP SOUTH

Abstract

This qualitative research design examines the experiences of individuals who were raised as girls and young women in the Catholic church in the United States Deep South. I conducted 17 semi-structured interviews. I ask, how have women and girls in the Catholic church learned what it means to be “pure”? How, and what, did women and girls who grew up in the Catholic Church learn about reproductive beliefs and freedom? How, and what, did women and girls who grew up in the Catholic Church learn about intimacy? How, and what, have women and girls in the Catholic church been taught to think of pregnancy and children? I conceptualize “doing purity” as a theoretical concept to explain how women and girls in this context learn how being a woman or a girl is inextricably linked with their purity and acting and being pure. Findings include the themes: “doing” purity, sex education, intimate relationships, and pregnancy and children. “Doing” purity provides the groundwork for an analysis of what it means for Catholic and Christian institutions to uphold sexualized violence, sexual abuse, women’s submission, and traditional gender roles. Effects on participants are discussed in the results section of thesis, and the conclusion provides a discussion about sexualized violence and effects of “doing purity.” Limitations and future research are also discussed.