Women banned from General Conference

[_bcspace]

And under President Benson, no less!

The LDS Church is just full of interesting ironies such as this.

How is that an irony?

[_MsJack]

No, women are not banned "from Conference." They are effectively banned from offering the invocations and closing prayers at the general sessions of Conference, and they are limited to a total of two talks given among the four general sessions (one year they got three). They are also effectively banned from addressing the priesthood sessions even though there is always at least one male speaker at the women's sessions.

From "MormonMatters": "On Oct 2, 1988 Michaelene P Grassli, general Primary President, became the first woman to speak in General Conference in 133 years."

I came to General Conference for the first time in October 1999, when I was 17. I was visiting with some LDS friends there and I asked about the lack of female speakers. My friend's husband laughed at me (quite literally) and said it was funny that I was complaining about that since it wasn't so long ago that they didn't let any women speak at Conference.

"Oh, thanks. All better now."

That said, Mormons do a pretty good job of giving women speaking time on the local level. You're far more likely to hear a Mormon woman addressing her congregation than you are the women of a lot of other Christian traditions. That's because speaking in Sacrament meeting isn't viewed by Mormons as an authoritative role the way Sunday preaching is for other Christians. Presiding and conducting are the authoritative roles in Sacrament meeting, and you'll never see a woman doing those. Still, the end result is more voice for women at the local level, and I think this is a good thing.

[_jon]

I suspect the prevalence of female speakers at a local level is due to the ratio of active males and females. In my experience wards contain more adult females than adult males, so speaking assignments reflect that ratio.

General conference speaking assignments seem to reflect the ratio of males to females within senior leadership positions.

When was the last Black General Conference speaker?

[_Yoda]

I suspect the prevalence of female speakers at a local level is due to the ratio of active males and females. In my experience wards contain more adult females than adult males, so speaking assignments reflect that ratio.

General conference speaking assignments seem to reflect the ratio of males to females within senior leadership positions.

When was the last Black General Conference speaker?

I think it has more to do with women saying yes more easily than men when bishops are calling people begging for talks. ;-)

[_Buffalo]

And under President Benson, no less!

The LDS Church is just full of interesting ironies such as this.

How is that an irony?

Don't worry your pretty little head about it.

[_consiglieri]

And under President Benson, no less!

The LDS Church is just full of interesting ironies such as this.

How is that an irony?

Where is the cross-eyed emoticon when I need it?

[_Equality]

And under President Benson, no less!

--Consiglieri

Yeah, but the Hinckster was really calling the shots then. Benson spent most of his days hidden from view, drooling over his cracked-wheat cereal and babbling incoherently something about the Tri-lateral Commission and the Rothschilds taking over the world.

[_Simon Belmont]

they are limited to a total of two talks given among the four general sessions (one year they got three).

I take issue with this. Do you have a reference?

[_Fence Sitter]

they are limited to a total of two talks given among the four general sessions (one year they got three).

I take issue with this. Do you have a reference?

Simon I am surprised! You don't have all the latest conference talks at your fingertips all cross referenced?

[_Darth J]

Even after all the struggles for equality of the sexes for so many years, there is still much work to be done.

I agree with the OP that it is unacceptable for only women to be banned from General Conference.

Until men are also banned from General Conference, I will not be satisfied.