In Joseph Smith's day, most states still had declared age of consent to be
ten. Some raised it to twelve, and
Delaware lowered it to seven![13]
It is significant that
none of Joseph's contemporaries complained about the
age differences between polygamous or monogamous marriage partners. This was simply part of their environment and culture; it is
unfair to judge nineteenth century members by twenty-first century social standards.
In past centuries, women would often die in childbirth, and men often remarried younger women afterwards. Women often married older men, because these were more financially established and able to support them than men their own age.