Job's Daughters

The International Order of Job's Daughters (Sometimes abbreviated to IOJD) and known throughout the world simply as Job's Daughters, Freemasonry related youth organization for girls aged 10 to 20 who are related to a Master Mason. It is the oldest one of five Masonic related organizations for girls, dating from 1920. The individual group in each city is called a Bethel and they are numbered according to when they were instituted. They usually meet at a Masonic Lodge building and when they are in session they refer to the meeting place as the Bethel. Members of the organization are sometimes referred to as Jobies.

The head of the Bethel is called the Honored Queen. The Honored Queen is elected by members of her Bethel and is often of high school age, among the older members of the group. The position is roughly analogous to Worshipful Master in a Masonic Lodge. The Honored Queen is assisted in her duties by a Senior Princess and a Junior Princess. The Senior Princess is usually considered to be next in line as Honored Queen. Girls who finish a term as Honored Queen use the PHQ (Past Honored Queen) designation within Job's Daughters.

A Grand Bethel Honored Queen is the head of a statewide Job's Daughters organization. The Supreme Bethel Honored Queen is the head of the international organization. These officers are usually Past Honored Queens of their local Bethel.

Bethels are supervised by an adult female officer known as the Bethel Guardian. A Master Mason called the Associate Bethel Guardian is required to be present at each meeting.. They are joined by other adults to form the Bethel Guardian Council. At the state level a group of adults called the Grand Guardian Council oversees all of the Bethels in their state.

Members who reach the age of 20 or marry while members in good standing become Majority Members. Majority Members may still be active in the organization but are no longer allowed to vote on business matters in the Bethel. Some states allow girls up to age 25 to be part of their Grand Bethel, which is composed of members from all over the state. Former Honored Queens are given the PHQ (Past Honored Queen) designation within the organization. Young women who wish to remain active in Masonic activities may join Order of the Eastern Star upon reaching                      the age of 18.

The organization was founded as The International Order of Job's Daughters (IOJD) by Ethel T. Wead Mick in Omaha Nebraska, in 1920. The original minimum age for membership was 13 but has been changed several times over the years, most recently in 2004, to age ten. The purpose of the Order was to band together young girls who are related to a Master Mason and is intended to build character through moral and spiritual development including a greater reverence for God and the Bible, loyalty to one's country and that country's flag, and respect for parents and guardians. From the onset Job's Daughters were active in their community through charities and other social activities. In 2004, the organization voted to change its name to Job's Daughters International and this designation is used in some states that do not have a Grand Guardian Council. The majority of states still use the IOJD designation.

Mrs. Mick was particularly fond of the Book of Job, and took the name of the organization as a reference to the three daughters of Job. She founded the Order with the assistance of her husband, Dr. William H. Mick, and several Freemasons and members of Eastern Star of Oklahoma. She dedicated the organization to the memory of her mother, Elizabeth D. Wead.

The "Jobie to Bee" or "JD2B" program gives Bethels a way to involve eight- and nine-year-old girls  in their public and social activities before they become full members at 10.

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 32 states. Most states and provinces have a Grand Guardian Council and use the IOJD designation but a few are under the direct supervision of the Supreme Guardian Council and use the JDI designation. No matter which designation is used, "Job's Daughters" is the common name that is familiar to the general public.