Would you be at all interested in doing a couple of posts as cross posts here on Keepa and at poetrysansonions.com?

This post, the post about the previous program for 18-30s, (I am so not having a day to remember details. Sheesh!) are examples of times when the programs for men and women were more closely aligned. I could try to write about them, (and will if I can’t talk you into doing it) but you are so much more qualified and would bring nuances I just don’t have at this point.

You bring so much to my life, through the deep understanding of times past, and letting me find connections between me, and my sisters in Zion throughout history.

“Spirituality — Health — Service — Knowledge” were the four “paths” (or themes or emphases or areas) of the girls’ classes in Primary. Girls earned emblems for their bandlos by completing projects along those paths. Those four paths are identical to the paths that made up the boys’ classes of the same era. There were variations in the application of those paths taught to the girls and boys (e.g., the kinds of service they were taught to render were different — boys’ service was often placed in the church and community while girls’ service was most often centered at home), but I find it remarkable that the overall emphases were the same: It was just as important for girls to develop their spirituality, knowledge, etc., as it was for boys.

I also appreciated the “virtuous woman” verses. I admit that there is a severely limited stock of female-targeted scriptures to use, but choosing this one, it seems to me, appears to celebrate each girl’s womanhood, her full potential as a daughter of God, rather than solely her future obligation of motherhood.

Anyway, that’s why I thought this belonged in the collection of past Mormon expressions of attitudes toward women and our roles.