Page "Women and Mormonism" Paragraph 1

For its time, early Mormonism had a relatively liberating stance toward women.

Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, lived in and abided by a male-centered world ; most of the early founding events of Mormonism involved only men.

However, a number of women had significant supporting roles ; for example, Smith's wife Emma Hale Smith served as a scribe in the translation of the Book of Mormon, and later as head of the Relief Society, originally a self-governing women's organization within the church, which is one of the oldest women's organizations in the world.