Unfortunately, callings in the Church often follow stereotypes.

Women in their 20’s and 30’s are typically called to serve in Primary. Women in their 30’s and 40’s generally serve in Young Women’s. Women in their 40’s and 50’s generally serve in Relief Society. Women older than that, of which I am one, get put out to pasture. However, that’s a different soapbox.

My concern today is a recent and expansive study done by Brigham Young University. The study, entitled, “Latter-day Saint Trends in the United States: Religiousness, Well-Being, and Retention” is 54 pages.

The following graph is found at this link. It compares retention rates by gender and age.

Figure 19. Latter-day Saint Retention Rate in 2025 by Gender and Age (Spiritual Seismology Survey Data; n=1,134)

 Here's their analysis of it:

We then explored whether retention rates differ by gender and age (fig. 19). Using the 2025 SSS data, we found that 18-year-old Latter-day Saint men have a retention rate of just below 60%, while older men have slightly higher rates, reaching just above 60% for the oldest men. In contrast, younger Latter-day Saint women have a much lower retention rate compared to older Latter-day Saint women: Eighteen-year-old Latter-day Saint women have a retention rate of just below 40%, while the oldest Latter-day Saint women in the data have a 60% retention rate.

This finding suggests a striking generational difference for women, with younger women much less likely to continue identifying as Latter-day Saint than women of older generations. In contrast, men are nearly just as likely to stay in the faith no matter what generation they were born into. However, these data do not account for those who may have left the Church and returned. It may be that women are more likely to leave at younger ages but are also more likely to return later.

Another finding suggests a growing gap among religious women of various age groups.

In comparing retention rates by age and gender, the study’s authors discovered that younger women are far less likely to be retained than older ones.

Although retention for Latter-day Saint women, ages 18 to 24, was about 40%, ranking among the highest compared to other faiths, it still fell behind the 55% found among female Latter-day Saints in their late 40s and further below the 70% or higher for those in their 70s.

It goes on to say: 

Barbara Morgan Gardner, one of the authors and a prominent Latter-day Saint researcher, suggested that this phenomenon potentially speaks to a lack of interaction between generations.

“We need all women of every generation mingling, sharing and attending family reunions,” Gardner said. “We see a correlation between increased peace and happiness for women and positive intergenerational relationships and experiences. … So if we separate ourselves regularly based on age, rather than learning from and experiencing each other, we may be adding to the problem.”

The researchers discovered that not feeling God’s presence in daily life, political ideology and social issues factored as the most significant indicators of religious disaffiliation for those in their early 20s.