In the early 1900s, some insurance companies hesitated to insure women, claiming that pregnancy and childbirth increased risks. They also said that women’s longer life expectancy could make products like annuities more costly to provide. Others doubted whether women even wanted or needed life insurance, questioning how much outside income women could really be bringing in for their families.
Thrivent’s predecessor, Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL), saw things differently. Though they initially limited membership to men, leaders soon recognized that women in the communities AAL served needed life insurance just as much as men. Women were vital economic contributors to their households. Many women brought in wages, and the value of their unpaid caregiving work at home would be costly to replace, too.
In 1904, against the advice of AAL’s medical director, the board of directors asked branches to vote on admitting women into the society. The board was in favor of including women and listed several benefits—for both the fledgling society and the families it served—in Der Correspondent, the organization’s official publication. Members agreed, and a majority voted yes.
AAL started selling insurance to women immediately after the vote passed in 1905, just three years after the association’s founding. Rose Ziegler, wife of AAL President Gottlieb Ziegler, was the first woman to receive an AAL insurance certificate on Jan. 25, 1905. Serving the financial needs of both men and women has been central to Thrivent’s mission ever since.
Lauren Gaines is Thrivent’s corporate historian and archives manager.
