Are you hosting a discussion or book club about Women at Church? If so, feel free to use these questions to stimulate discussion. Also, add your own questions or responses in the comments section here for others to learn from and use.

  • Which experiences related in the book resonated most strongly with you and why?
  • Was the author successful in her attempt to create greater compassion and understanding for women who struggle with issues in the church? Did you feel moved or changed by what you read and how? Does she address the full range of issues that are making women uncomfortable, or did you think of others as you read?
  • Which changes suggested seem most important to you? Do you think they are possible on a local level? Which changes suggested don’t seem possible or necessary to you and why?
  • Did reading this book make you feel more powerful or less so as a woman in the church? Why?
  • Do you think the author’s establishment of the Church Handbook of Instructions as a standard for orthodoxy is fair, or should she have engaged with other sources such as conference talks and published leadership trainings, etc.?
  • The author does not deal with the issue of women’s ordination to the priesthood. Is this a strength or a weakness of the book and why?
  • The book gauges small changes in women’s visibility and participation as big progress for women in the church. Do you agree with this assessment and why?
  • The author states that Mormon doctrine claims “one of the most progressive gender doctrines among any Western religion” (xvii). Is this true, and in what ways is Mormon doctrine progressive or not with respect to women? What effect would it have on the church as an organization if we did and heard more teaching about women as role models and heroes in the scriptures, the Relief Society and Gospel Doctrine manuals, etc.?
  • The author suggests that LDS members would be better served if they stopped claiming gender equality in the practices of our church in the same way that other institutions claim it (52). Do you agree with her that we should disregard this term, or is it helpful for us to continue to claim that women are “equal” to men in the church?
  • In what ways do women in the church “roadblock” other women (107-117)? What can we do, as sisters, to ensure we are not hindering the progress of other women in our church on local and also church-wide levels?
  • A good deal of controversy has arisen over the author’s assertion that “visual representation matters deeply” (126-130). While the book asserts the deep importance of women’s visibility in leadership positions of the church to both women and men, some critics have dubbed woman’s desire for visibility beyond the status quo to be unholy ambition and worldly vanity. How do we reconcile Jesus’ teachings that we not seek for the glory of the world while nevertheless recognizing the contributions of women in more significant ways?
  • How can we ensure that our sons and daughters learn proper respect for female religious leadership as well as male? Beyond just our church leaders, how can we as parents change how we teach these notions of gender in the home?
  • How can we do a better job on a local level of recognizing and honoring women’s skills and abilities beyond motherhood and marriage to build a more inclusive ward family?
  • What did you think about the author’s assessment of women’s current participation in ward council and PEC? How can our women leaders better represent the women in their stewardship in these meetings?
  • The author’s sources include books written on business, communications, and advertising, among others. In what ways are these useful and appropriate books for the management of gender relationships in the church, and in what ways may such sources fall short? What other sources might be useful as we ask for the greater participation and visibility of women in the church?
  • When our ideas or suggestions for change are not heard or valued by our church leaders, how can we become more adept at “assessing our spiritual lives separately from our Church experiences” (169)? How do we find the strength to persevere in a less-than-perfect church, surrounded by and governed by less-than-perfect people? How can we support others who are struggling to persevere despite their pain and their doubt?