President Spencer W. Kimball said the following:

The scriptures and the prophets have taught us clearly that God, who is perfect in his attribute of justice, “is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). … We had full equality as his spirit children. We have equality as recipients of God’s perfected love for each of us. The late Elder John A. Widtsoe wrote:

“The place of woman in the Church is to walk beside the man, not in front of him nor behind him. In the Church there is full equality between man and woman. The gospel … was devised by the Lord for men and women alike” (Improvement Era, Mar. 1942, p. 161).

President Kimball goes on to explain how even as we are equal before God, “our roles and assignments differ” as men and women. (More can be found about gender roles here.) There are those who want to declare that unless our roles and responsibilities can and are the same, we will never be equal. This is a falsehood that the doctrines of the gospel help to dispel.

You can read essays on our site written by Mormon women about the topic of womanhood, such as the following:

We Are Daughters of God

Standing Shoulder to Shoulder

Singing Eve’s Song

Following are other links (most from lds.org) that further explore the teachings about the divinity of womanhood.

Margaret D. Nadauld: The Joy of Womanhood

Words of the Prophet: Daughters of the Almighty

Susan Easton Black: Happiness in Womanhood

You Are All Heaven Sent

Sheri Dew: It is Not Good for Man or Woman to be Alone (discusses how women and men must work in partnership in order for God’s plan to work and for us to reach our full potential)

M. Russell Ballard: Women of Righteousness

Women of Faith

Arta M. Hale: Lessons in Womanhood: Insights for Latter-day Saint Women from the Lives of Vashti, Miriam, Ruth, Hannah, Jezebel, and Esther

Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball on Women in the Church

Elaine Cannon: The Case for Mary (addresses ideas found in radical feminism, and what used to be called the women’s liberation movement)

Ambitious to Do Good

Barbara Thompson: The Errand of Angels is Given to Women

Richard G. Scott: The Sanctity of Womanhood

Russell M. Nelson: Daughters of Zion

Spencer W. Kimball: The Blessings and Responsibility of Womanhood

Dallin H. Oaks: The Relief Society and the Church (discusses much about historical facets of the role of women in the Lord’s work; even addresses the issue of women anointing and giving blessings, which they did for a time in the earlier stages of Church history)

Sheri Dew: Are We Not All Mothers?

Gordon B. Hinckley: The Women in Our Lives

Jeffrey R. Holland: To Young Women
Boyd K. Packer: Children of God

Susan Easton Black, noted researcher and teacher, wrote an article about womanhood in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the many roles women may have (daughter, sister, wife, mother, woman). She also reflects on women from Church history to illustrate her points about these roles. She reminds us of the importance of “adher[ing] to the truths of the scriptures and modern prophetic counsel” that can “lead [us] to the commitment of being a faithful daughter, sister, wife, and mother. Such a commitment will lead [us] to greater happiness in mortality and joy in the eternal realms.”

Read another woman’s thoughts on being a woman in the Church.

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You can also search our site or lds.org on topics such as the following:

Gender roles

Motherhood

Eternal Identity

Eternal Perspective

Self-Worth

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There are many forces in the world today working against this important element in God’s plan for His children. People are significantly postponing marriage, or not getting married at all. Some want to redefine marriage to include same-sex relationships. Some have limited marriage relationships to not include children. Divorce is rampant, as is abuse and other ills that poison potentially loving relationships. And even the busyness of life can cause marriages to fizzle and fade into the background of other things that just aren’t as important.

We rejoice in the truths that we are taught about marriage and family, and the counsel we receive regarding these eternally-important relationships. Embracing these truths changes our lives for the better, and brings a greater measure of joy than we could ever have otherwise. Defending these truths is something that we have been called upon by our leaders to do.

The church teaches the ideal about marriage, recognizing that not every life fills that ideal. We are encouraged to do all we can toward that ideal, and trust in God along the way. We do all we can, and strive to be obedient and faithful. With that counsel, prophets of God have declared that no blessing will be denied those who receive and are true to eternal covenants. The greatest blessings God has to offer are tied to eternal family relationships. We can all hold to those promises, regardless of what our current family situations may be.

For more information on this topic, please see the following talks and articles:David A. Bednar: Marriage is Essential to God’s Eternal Plan

F. Burton Howard: Eternal Marriage

Russell M. Nelson: Nurturing Marriage

David E. Sorensen: The Honeymoon Trail

Bruce C. Hafen: Covenant Marriage

Richard N. Williams: Loving and Caring for Each Other

A Scott Loveless: International Efforts to Defend Marriage and Family

Spencer W. Kimball: The Importance of Celestial Marriage

Bruce R. McConkie: Celestial Marriage

Spencer W. Kimball: Temples and Eternal Marriage

Wendy L. Watson: Solving Our Marriage and Family Problems Through Celestial Therapy

Matthew O. Richardson: That Form of Marriage: The Divine Design of Marriage and Family

You can also search lds.org, mormon.org, or this site on topics such as the following:

Marriage
Family
Purpose of Life
Temple
Covenants
Eternal Perspective

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