As important as women are to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they have no voice within the religious community. LDS women are expected to be nurturers and mothers. They are supposed to support the work done by men, and not be supported in return.
LDS women’s groups, such as the Relief Society, were once spheres of influence that were operated solely by women. The Relief Society had participated in the women’s suffrage movement, opened hospitals, and published its own newspapers and magazines. It was a feminist society that empowered women; until it was taken over by the priesthood in the late 1960s. Some believe that the patriarchal takeover was caused by the integration of women into positions of power in the LDS Church. Whatever the cause, it’s clear that Mormon women have been stripped of what little power they’ve had.
The LDS Church currently only allows men to be ordained as priests. While all men can be priests, but not all priests can perform a wedding. When a boy reaches 12 years of age, he is considered worthy of ordination, and can participate in sacred responsibilities, an ability that is considered both a privilege and an honor. A girl at the age of 12 has nothing to look forward to, and isn’t expected to participate in any capacity in the LDS Church in regards to sacred activities. She can’t be a priest, even if she is called by God to serve in that capacity. She can’t perform a wedding, and she certainly can’t be a prophet or a church elder.
Feminist LDS women are now pushing for women to be priests, and to be allowed to fully participate in the LDS Church. They believe that women are capable of filling traditionally held male roles, and they should be allowed to have their voices heard.
Traditionalists who are against LDS women being ordained or performing a wedding believe that women don’t need to have such privileges as they are already blessed by God. Supporters of the LDS Church patriarchy claim that women who wish to be ordained and perform weddings are prideful and power hungry. Ironically, it is these allegedly immoral traits that keeps LDS men in positions of power.
LDS feminists who are not contemplating having women ordained, believe that women should at least be permitted to speak at worship services and conferences. Women should be quoted in sermons, and there should be at least one woman present during meetings where decisions are being made about them. LDS women should have say in matters that concern them. They should be given a voice within the LDS Church. If they are as special and blessed by God as many claim them to be, they should be treated as such, and not marginalized by the LDS community.