Cars

It continues to amaze me, the degree to which the policies and expectations of the Mormon church* assume that all families, or at least all families with children, have (at least) two cars. This ranges from the expectations of certain church callings to various church programs.

Consider the extra-special bonus meetings that members in administrative callings (such as members of the bishopric and organizational, group, and auxiliary presidents) have to attend before and/or after regular Sunday meetings while their families have to sit around and wait, often hungry, unless they have another car. Perhaps more extreme is the situation of members of stake high councils, who are expected to drive all over the place to attend various units’ sacrament meetings while their families need to drive to the meetings in their home wards.

Another case: Fathers of teenaged girls are usually asked to help out with young women’s camp.** However, since these events are usually held some distance from the girls’ homes, these fathers have to be able to drive to the campsite (and, just because of the way the logistics work, carpooling isn’t usually an option)—while the part of their family that remains at home still has to get around somehow.

So, the questions:

1. Is this a good, or at least a reasonable, assumption for the church to make?
2. If not, how can it be changed (if, in fact, it can be)?
3. Might this have any sort of effect on the activity or devotion level of families that, by choice or by necessity, only have one car?

* In the United States, at least. Given social norms outside of the United States, i suspect that this is less true elsewhere.

** This, i have recently learned, is the event formerly known as girls camp.