Episcopal Press and News

More Than One in Ten Clergy in England Are Now Women

Episcopal News Service. June 6, 1997 [97-1785B]

(ENS) A tenth of the Church of England's clergy are women, according to a recent survey carried out by the National Association of Diocesan Advisers in Women's Ministry. The national survey is the first of its kind conducted since women began to be ordained as priests in March 1994. By the end of July 1996, the survey reports, there were 1,957 women in licensed ministry in the 43 dioceses. Almost half of the women are paid a full stipend and most are between 40 and 60 years old. Nearly 400 women are in charge of parishes, and about 200 are in "sector" ministries, working as chaplains in hospitals, prisons, universities, colleges and in industry. Sixty percent are married; 306 of them to clergymen. The diocese with the largest number of women is Oxford with 101.