Abstract

Since the colonial era, Catholic nuns, or women religious, have been a part of the social context of the United States. After Vatican II, the role of being a nun in society has changed significantly. However, the decline in female religious vocations since 1980 to present involves much more than the changes of Vatican II. Role expectations and authority for nuns have declined and become ambiguous, as the number of nuns has dwindled. Catholic women carrying that same mentality are more reluctant to enter into the life of a nun. Previously, women that entered the vocation were entering with the promise of work, which is no longer an attractive aspect of religious life for post-Vatican II Catholic women. General Social Survey data reveals that Catholics in general have less regard for the authority of the Church since the 1970s. Interviews conducted for this study reveal that although many women have left their vocations, there are women that have stayed and continued the ministries of their community. Examining present day women religious in the post-Vatican II era indicates that nuns need to make changes in order to keep their ministries vital and to recruit and retain other women. Overall, the decline in women in religious vocations in the United States is a part of broader social changes that the Church is experiencing.