Job’s Daughters International is a Masonic affiliated youth organization for girls and young women aged 10 to 20. The organization is commonly refereed to as simply Job’s Daughters, and sometimes abbreviated as JDI (or IOJD, referring to its longtime former name, Intentional Order of Job’s Daughters). Jobs Daughters welcomes many religions and cultures. The only religious standard is a belief in a Supreme being. They are praised for their memory work and delivery. They are not a secret society, as stereotyped by their relationship to Freemasonry.
Family relationship o a Free and Accepted Mason is no longer a prerequisite for membership.
JDI promotes itself as a sorority “where girls rule”, however, there is a large and multilayered assortment of adult guidance and interaction.
History
The organization was founded as The Order of Job’s Daughters by Ethel T. Wead Mick in Omaha, Nebraska on October 20, 1920. The purpose of the organization is to band together young girls and strives to build character through moral and spiritual development. Goals include a greater reverence for God and the Holy Scriptures, as stated in the Job’s Daughters Constitution, loyalty to one’s country and that country’s flag, and respect for parents, guardians, and the elderly.
“Mother Mick” was fond of the Book of Job, and took the name of the organization as a reference to the three daughters of Job. The Book of Job, 42nd chapter, 15th verse says, “In all the land were no women found so far as the Daughters of Job, and there father gave them inheritance among their brethren“. She founded the Order with the assistance of her husband, Dr. Wiliam H. Mick, and several Freemasons and members of Eastem Star of Nebraska. She dedicated the organization to the memory of her mother, Elzabeth D. Wead.
In 1931 the name was changed to the International Order of Job’s Daughters after a Bethel was instituted in Vancouver, British Columbia,
Today, Bethels and Grand Bethels are active in Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Philippines, and the United States. Within the United States, there are currently Bethels in 31 slates. Most states and provinces have a Grand Guardian Council, but a few are under the direct supervision of the Supreme Guardian Council
Membership
In order to apply for membership in Job’s Daughters, one must be a girl between the ages of 10 and 20. The original age for membership was 13-18, as stated in “The Official History of the International Order of Job’s Daughters, but has been changed several times over the years. Until August 2015, it was required that the girl be related to a Master Mason or Majority Member. Now, she may be sponsored by a Majority Member and Master Mason if no relation is found.
Members are not required to practice any particular religion, but they must believe in a Supreme being,
If a daughter reaches the age of 20, or marries, and is in good standing in the Bethel (chapter), she is considered a majority member. Majority members are no allowed to hold an office or vote on Bethel affairs; however they are encouraged to remain active in their respective Bethel. At age 18, they also are eligible to join the Order of Easter Star, Order of the Amaranth, or The Daughters of the Nile.
Famous Job’s Daughters
Notable former Job’s Daughters include Kim Cattrall, Jacquelynne Fontaine, Nancy Fleming, Jenilee Harrison, Nannette Hegerty, Vicki Lawrence, Heather Moore, Jean Rabe, Debbie Reynolds, and Aimee Teegarden.
