Unmarried Girls - Lighting Hanukkah Candles
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Question
Do unmarried girls light Hanukkah candles? Until what age do Ashkenazi girls typically light Hanukkah candles?
Answer
Hello,
The mitzvah of lighting Hanukkah candles is obligatory for women just as it is for men. Therefore, in a household where there is no male over the age of bar mitzvah, the girls should light the candles.
However, in a household where there is a male over the age of bar mitzvah, only he lights the candles and thereby fulfills the obligation for the women.
This rule also applies to the Ashkenazi custom where each person lights and blesses separately, but there is no such custom for women.
Several reasons have been given for this. One is "his wife is like his own self," which applies only to a woman whose husband lights. Another reason is that the primary lighting is at the entrance of the house, which may lack modesty. The modesty of women is more important than the enhancement of the mitzvah by lighting separately.
There are young girls who wish to light on their own, and according to the Ashkenazi custom, they may be allowed to do so. However, it is not an obligation or a custom, but merely a desire.
Source
Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, Siman 675, Shaar HaTzion, Se'if Katan 10, Chatam Sofer, Shabbat 21b