Women and the Church

Transparency | Accountability | Justice

#NotEqualYet - we are campaigning for the simple principle that women and men should be treated equally in the Church of England, our national church

Did you know that our national Church discriminates against women, limiting female leadership at every level of the organisation?

Churches can

  • say ‘no’ to female priests applying to be their vicars;

  • say ‘no’ to female priests blessing the bread and wine in services;

  • have a special male bishop if their bishop is female or is a man who has ordained women as priests.

There is no requirement for churches to be transparent about these things, so often people attend churches, and support them financially for many years, without knowing that they are churches that discriminate against women.

Many large inner-city churches, such as All Souls Langham Place and St Helen’s Bishopsgate in London, St Andrews the Great in Cambridge, and St Ebbe’s in Oxford, do not allow a woman to be their vicar.

Women and the Church (WATCH) is a national organisation working actively to promote equality for women in the Church of England and lift the lid on sexism and discrimination.

At WATCH, we believe that God is calling the Church of England to be a church where all people are treated equally.  Women are half the population and two thirds of our congregations and yet we are still being discriminated against because of our sex.

How can you support this vision?

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