Woman's Exponent

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The Woman's Exponent (1872-1914) was a monthly newspaper for women which began publication in Salt Lake City in 1872. Originally conceived by leaders in the LDS Relief Society (the women's organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), the Exponent was a formally accepted voice for the women of the LDS Church. However, the Exponent's editorial board and management also acted independently of the Church hierarchy and had considerable influence in Utah and national politics. Its editorials frequently championed both plural marriage and women's suffrage.

The original editor was Louisa Greene, who accepted the position with the approval of her great uncle -- Brigham Young. She was succeeded as chief editor by Emmeline B. Wells, later president of the Relief Society, in 1877. Wells served as the publication's editor for 37 years. Facing increasing financial pressures in the early 1900s, Wells unsuccessfully lobbied the Relief Society General Board to adopt The Exponent as its official publication. With their rejection, the paper was forced to close in 1914. The Relief Society Magazine, a separate publication, began publication in January 1915.

After the consolidation of The Relief Society Magazine into the Ensign in 1970, the Exponent II was started in 1974 by several Cambridge-area, Massachusetts women. Independent of the LDS Church, it focuses on the concerns and experiences of Mormon women.