As a woman who grew up a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have observed clear inequality between the positions and decision-making power between men and women in the church. For 30-plus years as an active member, I was blind to the obvious inequalities and simply accepted the institutionalized gender disparities.
I could no longer overlook the fact that women are too often ignored in the church when I learned that the first woman was permitted to pray in the April 2013 General Conference. This is a conference broadcast twice a year to millions around the world. This occurred in part because of the efforts of a small group of LDS women who created the website "Let the Women Pray in General Conference" in January 2013. They petitioned the leaders of the church to permit a woman to pray in the April General Conference. The all-male top leadership granted their request.
During the following general conference in October 2013, the group Ordain Women attracted media attention when they were denied entrance to the all-male priesthood session. The following year the top male leaders determined that portraits of female church leaders would be hung for the first time side-by-side those of the male leaders in the large conference center in Salt Lake City.
As these two events (and countless others) illustrate, the gender disparity is real, and each small step towards equality is a long-fought battle.
And yet, significant problems in the portrayal of what is expected of women in the church continue to permeate the LDS culture and negatively influence the younger generation. For example, in the December 2015 New Era (an LDS magazine going to hundreds of thousands of teens each month), an illustration appeared titled "Are you a Giver or a Getter?"
The male illustrator portrayed two young women. The portrayal of the "getter" (intended to be negative) shows a confident young woman standing firm with her arms crossed and a confident look on her face. She is slightly more fashionable in a short haircut, a knee-length skirt, a red shirt with shorter sleeves and a handbag. The questions around her are all about how will her actions as a member of the church benefit her.
The portrayal of the "giver" (intended to be positive) shows a girl awkwardly standing with her feet turned inward and a demure look on her face. She has longer hair, an ankle-length skirt and a long-sleeved white shirt. Her Young Women's medallion is hanging on her neck (showing that she has accomplished all her Young Women's goals). The "giver" carries her scriptures with a visible tithing envelope displayed, and the questions around her are all about how her actions will benefit others and the church.
When I saw this illustration — with all its subtle messages — I could not help but wonder why the proper portrayal of a young woman requires her to be a self-erased girl who asks only the "right" questions. What was the reasoning behind such a false dichotomy, when we all know that a balanced person must be both a getter and a giver?
The vast majority of people who commented on the illustration were also distraught. Was it an innocent mistake by a male illustrator, or was it yet another attempt to manipulate the young women in the church into a subservient position?
In her December 2015 TED Talk, Chelsea Shields explains why change is needed for women in the church and how everyone would benefit from gender equality. Additionally, to end the year 2015, Ordain Women blogged the following points in their Twelve Days of Christmas wish list:
• Women's ordination
• More women speakers
• Female financial clerks
• More quotes from women
• Husbands not presiding
• Women on all councils
• Gender-inclusive language
• Women should interview girls
• Equal youth budgets
• Women as witnesses
• Moms in blessing circles
• and full gender parity!
Let's hope the leaders pray about these things and maybe these faithful women will see some of their wishes granted this year.
I am hopeful that mothers and fathers who have accepted the institutionalized gender inequality and allowed the church to teach their daughters that the best thing they can do is slink into the background will allow the blinders to be removed from their eyes. I hope they will stand for equality between their daughters and sons, the future women and men of the Church.
Julienna Viegas-Haws was born and raised in Belgium. She served an LDS mission on Temple Square and graduated with a B.A. in international politics from Brigham Young University. She currently lives in Texas with her husband and three children.
