- News
- UK
- Home News
It has been heralded as one of the major decisions under the leadership of new church President Dallin H. Oaks
Deepa BharathSaturday 22 November 2025 10:53 GMT
open image in galleryFILE - The opening session of the two-day Mormon church conference is shown Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world
Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email
Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email
Email*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced a significant policy shift, allowing women to embark on missions from the age of 18, aligning the minimum age requirement with that of their male counterparts. This change, revealed on Friday, reduces the previous minimum age for female missionaries by one year.
Heralded as one of the initial major decisions under the leadership of new church President Dallin H. Oaks, the move is set to equalise opportunities within the Utah-based faith, which boasts 17.5 million members globally. It also appears to be a direct response to the growing engagement of young women in the church’s worldwide missionary efforts. These missions are considered pivotal rites of passage for young adherents, serving to recruit new members, disseminate the church's beliefs, strengthen individual faith, broaden global perspectives, and prepare many for future leadership roles within congregations.
This marks the first alteration 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 reduced from 21 to 19, while for men it shifted from 19 to 18. That earlier change was widely regarded as a watershed moment for women within the church, leading to a remarkable surge in applications for new missions, which reportedly doubled within days of its announcement.
That rule change led to a significant increase in women serving missions. Currently, about 25,000 of the 85,000 missionaries are women, said Sam Penrod, a spokesperson for the church. That equates to 29% — a number that has remained consistent over the past decade. That is more than double the 12% of missionaries women accounted for before the 2012 rule change.
open image in gallerySister Palmer 19, right, and Sister Raymundo pose for a portrait with The Book of Mormon while walking around Temple Square in Salt Lake City on Nov. 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)The new change will likely lead to even more women serving missions, said Matt Martinich, a church growth researcher for The Cumorah Project, a privately funded research organization.
“It shows more equality in terms of missionary opportunity," Martinich said, adding that he has heard from mission presidents that women also tend to be more effective as teachers and proselytizers.
Church spokesperson Doug Andersen said this change is a reflection of Oaks’ desire to provide “additional options and flexibility for young women” who want to serve. The 55 new worldwide missions announced for the coming year will also help accommodate the demand, he said.
Yet, some disparities remain. The length of missions remains longer for men than women: two years for men and 18 months for women. And in the statement announcing the change, the church pointed out that every “worthy, able young man” should prepare to serve a mission while it remains optional for women.
The faith reserves its top leadership roles to men.
Last month, the church made available sleeveless versions of the sacred undergarments worn by women members. Social media was abuzz with pictures of long lines of mostly women waiting for their chance to get inside specialty stores to buy these items, which many women said made sense from a comfort and fashion perspective.
LeAnne Tolley, a Utah 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 when he was 19, but her daughter did not, adding that there is a different expectation 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 hopeless world.
“Most religions — not just ours — seem to be experiencing this revival especially with young people,” she said.
