2007
What is more important for married women?
Sep. 2007


“What is more important for married women?” New Era, Sep. 2007, 31

“What is more important for women after they get married: to finish an education or to start a family?”

It’s not an either/or decision, because while education is an important step along every woman’s path, so is starting a family. Decisions about timing and other details should be made between you, your husband, and the Lord. President Faust has offered this counsel as you face choices in your life: “Whatever you do, learn to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (“How Near to the Angels,” Ensign, May 1998, 97).

President Gordon B. Hinckley has often stressed getting a good education. To the women of the Church he says that education “is the latchkey to success in life,” but in the next breath he reminds us of President David O. McKay’s teaching, “No other success can compensate for failure in the home” (“To the Women of the Church,” Ensign, Nov. 2003, 115). While education is important, it shouldn’t displace the importance of children and family—for either men or women.

Your choice to have children does not have to exclude finishing your education, or vice versa. A classroom is not the only place to gain an education. Many part-time or distance study options are available to you if you want to finish your education. Even if you have completed the degree you were seeking, you can always become more educated through personal study and experience.