Cutler set the standard of combining the divine call of family with the charge to seek learning.
Young, poor, and female. Virginia F. Cutler, born in 1905 in Park City, Utah, lived in a time where these terms were the beginning and end of opportunities for women.
Despite the challenges Cutler faced in her time, she did not allow her circumstances to define her; she rose above them, serving generations with her efforts to educate women and strengthen families. Thanks to her everlasting impact on the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences Cutler is honored and remembered with the Virginia F. Cutler annual lecture series.
In the 1930s, Cutler found herself a single mother of two young boys. Despite her friends and family being eager to jump in and help, her determination to support her small family independently motivated her to return to college. She had earned a bachelor’s degree in education and believed that further education would open opportunities to provide a better future for her sons.
She was right. After receiving her master’s degree from Stanford University, she was invited to work with the University of California as a home demonstration agent, teaching women how they could improve their family living. This position doubled the salary she had as a teacher and cemented her love for strengthening families through education.
For Cutler, it wasn’t about choosing education over family. It was about choosing education for family. Although her work was demanding, she never forgot why she did it; she made time to be with her sons, building traditions, and including them in her homemaking.
In the mid-1900s, Cutler’s union of domestic and intellectual spheres was unprecedented. Yet for her, it was never about choosing education over family. It was about choosing education for family. Although her work was demanding, she never forgot why she did it; she made time to be with her sons, building traditions and including them in her homemaking.
While she completed her formal education with a PhD from Cornell University in 1947, but her learning never ended. She showed women that they didn’t have to choose between family and education. In fact, her call for women to have equal rights and education was motivated by a higher calling: building and strengthening families.
After graduating from Cornell, she returned to her home state to work as head of the home economics department for the University of Utah, where she continued to advocate for education as a way to honor the sacredness of families.
In the late 1950s, she was invited to become dean of the College of Family Living (now part of the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences) at BYU. She didn’t accept the offer right away—the University of Utah didn’t want to let her go. In fact, when there began to be some animosity over the subject, Cutler chose to spend a summer in Thailand.
Her time in Thailand was only the beginning of her efforts to spread education and opportunities for women across the globe. Both before and during her time as dean of the BYU College of Family Living, she traveled internationally as an advisor in home economics education to Thailand, Indonesia, and Africa. There, she developed home economic degrees within several universities, established a teacher training program for women, and set up several new schools. No matter the place, Cutler’s goal was always to provide the education others needed to improve their home and family lives.
After 15 years as dean, Cutler retired from BYU in 1971 — but she was not done opening opportunities for higher education to women. Throughout the 1970s she held the position of president over several organizations, including the Association of Utah Women and the Utah chapter of the American Association of University Women. Her leadership and support furthered the organizations’ goals of equality for women through education.
Although there has been progress in family education and improvement since Cutler’s passing in 1993, there is still work to do. A Deseret News opinion article written by two BYU students in October revealed that while Utah is No. 22 in the nation for women pursuing degrees, it ranks No. 2 for women who enter college but do not complete their degrees. This can occur due to family pressure and financial responsibilities for women.
Cutler’s example shows that neither education nor family need to be limited by the other. There is still more to be done; providing resources for women to complete their degrees enables them to create better living for themselves and their families.
By following Cutler's example in combining study and faith, individuals across the world can continue to strengthen their homes and families.
