Women and the Church (WATCH) launched its annual report on “Developments in Women’s Ministry 2016” at a fringe event at the General Synod today.
Read the report by clicking HERE.
From the press release:
Speaking at the event the newly elected Chair of WATCH, Revd. Canon Emma Percy said “The WATCH report clearly shows that whilst much has been achieved there is still a significant way to travel before women have any degree of equality in the church.
Yes we have women priests and bishops but recent appointments have shown that there continues to be a high disparity between the opportunity and prospects of male and female clergy.
From the latest available figures whilst roughly equal numbers of men and women are ordained, only 27% are currently vicars or in more senior roles.
Women continue to be under-represented at senior levels within dioceses with 13 dioceses having no ex-officio women in Bishop’s senior staff and a further 22 that only have one women.
In 2016, ten people were made bishops but only three of these were women and sadly not one of them was appointed to be a Diocesan Bishop.
Today we publish a table showing the percentage of women in incumbent level appointments by diocese. With an average of only 24% of women incumbents across all the dioceses, many fall well short even of this low percentage.
“a fringe event” at the General Synod. Hair today, gone tomorrow. I sincerely hope not.
This is important work, but equality’s most likely to come as part of an inter-sectional alliance. The fact that, post-consecration, the leading campaigners for equal ordination have joined in the bishops’ omertà on sexuality shows the limits of sectional identity politics. The merged Changing Attitude/LGCM were criticized here for not taking an opportunity to call for trans rights, but they’ve certainly supported that cause elsewhere. Have WATCH ever released a statement expressing solidarity with LGBT people, or calling on England’s Synod to change canon law to allow for equal marriage? Solidarity should be show to WATCH regardless, but mutual solidarity… Read more »
JamesByron might like to read a recent article posted on WATCH’s website by the new Chair.
James – not heavily signposted, but here is what you are looking for?
https://womenandthechurch.org/news/the-chairs-thoughts/
Thanks for the link, and apologies for the delayed reply, missed the updates.
Looks extremely promising, and hopefully England can have formal collaboration between WATCH and OBOF. WATCH’s campaigning expertise would be invaluable, and I’m sure OBOF would want to do all possible to forward gender equality. We’re so much stronger together.