So I was thinking today about all these sweet spirits. From what I can tell GA women are forbidden to have a careers or work. In Sister Wendy's situation (pasted below) I wonder why she had to give up her career as a marriage and family specialist since her marriage to Nelson is what actually gave her credibility to counsel her clients in marriage problems. But no she was forced to quit after attaining her doctors degree!

In the COB there are females that are allowed to be employed, even ones with young kids. And CES does have some females working, yet seminary and institute teachers are forbidden to allow their wives to work. Wives have to be perfect homemakers.

Why the double standard? What do they do all day?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfP8bCLmwQI

But for someone like Wendy, I imagine that it would not be practical to try to maintain a regular schedule as a marriage and family specialist/therapist, while also performing her official Mormon "First Lady" duties, accompanying the Nelson on various trips and junkets.

(Plus, TBH, I doubt that she would want to. It looks to me like she's having the time of her life doing what she's doing right now as the "prophet whisperer" and probably feels like she has about 10,000 times more power and influence doing what she's doing now than she would meeting handfuls of ordinary commoners with ordinary people problems in a small office every week.)

I hadn't heard about the CES policy for wives of seminary and institute teachers. That does sound bizarre, even by Mormon standards -- especially if the kids are mostly grown.

Most of them are of retirement age anyway. My guess would be that they are supposed to travel all round the world with their husbands and a job would prevent that.

not working is different being forbidden to work

There is no policy forbidding wives of General Authorities from being employed outside the home.

BUT...

This wonderous General Authority would never become this wonderous General Authority without total commitment from his spouse to fulfilling his demanding career and LDS Church callings. When you note all the activities that he must neglect to keep ahead of all those other highly motivated people in a demanding career and keeping appearances for the sake of appearances at the ward and then stake levels to even be considered for an appointment as a General Authority, no wife could hope to keep a home, family and then have any time or energy for employment.

The selection process eliminates any couple not totally committed to investing in him becoming a General Authority.

Yes that's probably the issue: Keeping up the appearance of religiosity, home and family, there isn't the energy for the spouse to be employed as well. Plus the spouse might be a liability to the appearance of perfection, especially if she belts out a bunch of expletives when machinery breaks down (like what happens at work). And co-workers often fight with each other. The chances for advancement in the church greatly diminish for tired looking workers.

Interestingly though this creates a two tiered class system within mormondom. The GAs and the GA wanabees who must exhibit poise, abundance, and elegance within the family structure. And the others who are too busy with real life expectations of paying bills. The families have other obligations than appearing perfect and so the women are employed.

And the best part is that the one set gets to judge and condescend the other. And it's not qualified to do so.

I find there is a dearth of "middle-class" in the Church outside of Utah.

We had 2 social structures in most wards we attended in Canada:
1) executives or self-employed; or,
2) unemployed.

We had few "workers." They couldn't keep up with the bosses' lifestyles, but weren't desperate enough to depend on the Church.

I wonder what economic conditions were in wards in the Moridor?

They don't need to work... the church foots their whole bill!