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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced a significant policy change that will allow women to serve missions starting at age 18, bringing the minimum age requirement to the same level as their male counterparts. The change, revealed on Friday, lowers the previous minimum age for female missionaries by one year.
Announced as one of the first major decisions under new church President Dallin H. Oaks, the move is set to level the playing field within the Utah-based faith, which has 17.5 million members globally. It also appears to be a direct response to the increasing involvement of young women in the Church’s worldwide missionary efforts. These missions are considered important rites of passage for young followers, helping to recruit new members, spread the Church’s beliefs, strengthen personal faith, broaden global perspectives, and prepare many for future leadership roles within congregations.
It is the first change to missionary age rules for the faith widely known as the Mormon Church since 2012. A decade ago, the minimum age for female missionaries was dropped from 21 to 19, while for men it was dropped from 19 to 18. That earlier change was widely considered a watershed moment for women within the Church, leading to a significant increase in applications for new missions, which reportedly doubled within days of its announcement.
That rule change significantly increased the number of women serving in missions. Currently, about 25,000 of the 85,000 missionaries are women, said church spokesman Sam Penrod. This equates to 29% – a number that has remained consistent over the past decade. This is more than double the 12% number of missionary women before the 2012 rule change.
The new change will likely allow even more women to serve in missions, said Matt Martinich, a church development researcher at The Cumorah Project, a privately funded research organization.
“It shows greater equality in terms of missionary opportunity,” Martinich said, adding that she has heard from mission presidents that women also are more effective as teachers and proselytes.
Church spokesman Doug Anderson said the change is a reflection of Oaks’ desire to provide “additional options and flexibility for young women who want to serve.” He said the 55 new worldwide missions announced for the coming year will also help accommodate demand.
Nevertheless, some disparities remain. The mission period is longer for men than for women: two years for men and 18 months for women. And in the statement announcing the change, the church explained that every “worthy, capable youth” should be ready to serve a mission, while it is optional for women.
The faith reserves its top leadership roles for men.
Last month, the church made available sleeveless versions of the sacred undergarments worn by female members. Social media was filled with photos of long queues of mostly women waiting for the chance to go inside exclusive stores to buy these items, which many women said made sense from a comfort and fashion perspective.
Leanne Tolley, A utah The resident and a Latter-day Saint said she is excited for her 14-year-old granddaughter who wants to serve as a missionary. Her son served at age 19, but her daughter did not, she said, citing different expectations in the faith for men and women.
Tolley said she now sees youth in her congregation and others in the area expressing a desire to share their beliefs and, more importantly, share hope in an increasingly bleak world.
“Not just ours, most religions are experiencing this resurgence, especially among young people,” he said.