Mothers with large families may have young children at home for many years, and don’t go to shul on shabbos. Some live in areas where there is no eruv or they don’t hold by it so they can’t carry their young children or use carriages. Even when there is an eruv, many mothers don’t feel it is appropriate to take young children to shul where they may disturb. Their young daughters may feel uncomfortable going to shul without their mothers sitting next to them, showing them what to do etc. And since for girls there is no obligation to daven with a minyan or hear kriyas Hatorah, and their mothers are not modeling shul going, they do not go even as they get Bas MItzva age. So that leaves older girls, singles, and middle-age women+, who often do go to shul on shabbos.
I’m not sure that going to shul is enough in any case to counter the issues that the OP was describing, especially if it turns into a fashion show or involves a shul with lots of talking during davening or leining. I don’t think boys are immune from today’s challenges because they go to shul daily and more frequently on shabbos. Also, just because girls are not in shul, does not mean they havee no means to be connected- they also go to school, seminaries, shiurim, shabbos afternoon programs, etc. Girls can find much meaning in tefilla, especially in private, and that is a way to connect to Hashem even without a minyan and shul.
Menu