Why are so many young women leaving Mormonism?

(RNS) — A recent article in BYU Studies called attention to two clear trends in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States. The first is that Mormons are succeeding in many ways — we pray more , attend church more and report being happier than most other Americans.

The other trend is that markedly fewer people are staying in the church. We’re keeping about half, which is a big drop from what it used to be. We kept about 8 in 10 childhood members back in the 1980s.

And the biggest bombshell? Women are now more likely to leave than men, especially if they’re younger.

Consider Ryan Burge ’s 2025 Spiritual Seismology Survey, with an overall sample size of 100,741 U.S. adults, including 1,177 who were raised LDS. It found that only about 4 in 10 Gen Z women who grew up LDS are still in the church. For the very youngest 18-year-old Mormon women, the retention rate was just 37.5%.

Pew’s 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study shows a similar general trend, though it’s less dire. Two-thirds of women over age 50 have stayed members, compared to just under half of younger ones. That’s a retention difference of 17 points.

Among people who were raised…