Exodus 90: The Other Side of Feminism

Baxter explains that he and his associates considered making a women’s version of the program, but after they “made a discernment” with a women’s group, they decided—or discerned—against it. Instead, the Exodus 90 website recommends women join Endow Groups. In contrast to the harrowing self-mortification and struggle sessions at Exodus 90, Endow Groups are social clubs where women gather, maybe read and discuss an essay written by Saint John Paul II, and pass around a dish of snacks. Endow, an acronym for “Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women,” encourages Catholic women to eat and talk more—apparently they aren’t doing those things enough! One of the first images visitors to the Endow home page see is women chatting around a plate of cookies. Exodus 90 is known to take weight off men; it is unlikely that Endow groups have the same effect on women.