Can Latter-day Saint women find a place in the patriarchy?

In 2014, Neylan McBaine wrote a groundbreaking book, “Women at Church: Magnifying LDS Women’s Local Impact.” Even given the patriarchal structure of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, McBaine argued that there was much more the global faith could do to see, hear and include women.
“At that time, there were many who felt discussing these facts was unfaithful or dangerous,” McBaine told an audience of 4,000 at last week’s Restore conference. “We swim so entirely in the waters of patriarchy that many of us do not see the extent to which our organizational structure, the language we use, our understanding of God, our quoting of spiritual authorities, our visual representations in our meetings, and the stories of our scriptures center the experiences and viewpoints of men.”
Now McBaine hopes Latter-day Saints will call out “patriarchy” and acknowledge how different its goals and rules are from other systems that exist in the U.S.
On this week’s show, she discuss where women in the church are now and how it has - or has not - changed in the decade since she published her book.

[@jennyfisher3773]

I am a RS President in the Seattle area and I have absolutely no problem finding place in the church leadership. I work often with the Elder’s quorum president to best meet the needs of the members in the ward, since now the Bishop is immersed with working with the youth. We plan often times weekly together and also work together in the ward council with the other women leaders, ie-YW and Primary President. There is mutual respect and I feel heard and my feelings and ideas are heard!! I love my calling and love the church!!

[@China-Clay]

I totally get it, but women have to ask men and get approval before moving forward on things, that’s the unequal part that men will always try to hang on to

[@tawnyachristensen7310]

So sad that women are the first to hold each other down, great example and work you are doing Neylan!

[@carleen2841]

I don’t want a place in the patriarchy!

[@brooklynparkse]

🫠

[@fairywingsonroses]

It's been my experience both as a woman in the church and as a public school teacher who has worked with various minority groups that anything less than full equality within any given structure (social, political, religious, etc.) just doesn't work. As long as inequality is tolerated, there will always be at least one person in a position of power who will use it to hold others down, often with no valid reason for doing so and with no reprecussions for their actions. Full equality offers protection, even if problems still persist. Under a systen of equality, people who abuse their power can, at the very least, be held accountable for their actions instead of being able to claim that something like their religion gives them a free pass for their behavior. Anything less than full equality within the church is unacceptable in my opinion because playing leadership roulette and celebrating the good that sometimes comes out of it is NOT true acknowledgement or progress for women. What was given can still be stripped away, and no one will argue with it as long as the church as a whole maintains its current stance on how women should be represented in the church.