Mormon Young Women aren't taught leadership skills #mormon #lds #feminism

Are Mormon Young Women Missing Out on Real Leadership Development?

When a Young Women leader in an LDS congregation suggests organizing a service project beyond babysitting or proposes structured leadership training for teenage girls, she sometimes encounters puzzlement from fellow leaders. "Why would we need that?" the implicit question hangs in the air. This gap between what some members believe young women should be learning and what programming actually emphasizes reveals a persistent tension in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: are Mormon young women taught genuine leadership skills, or does their religious education remain largely social and ceremonial?

The question matters beyond Sunday classrooms. For teenage girls navigating their identity and future, the skills, or lack thereof, they develop in religious settings shape their confidence, ambitions, and sense of what their faith community expects of them. For the Church, it raises questions about whether current Young Women curricula align with stated values about female capability and contribution.

The Historical Context of LDS Young Women's Education

The Young Women organization, established in 1869 as the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Association, initially aimed to cultivate virtues and practical homemaking skills. Over 150 years, the program has evolved significantly, yet critics argue not always toward substantive empowerment.

From the 1960s through the 1990s, Young Women lessons focused heavily on preparation for marriage and motherhood: cooking, sewing, etiquette, and moral purity. While the Church has modernized curricula since then, introducing themes of personal development and service, the underlying structural philosophy has shifted more gradually than the explicit content.