Our national Church is getting away with discriminating against women, limiting female leadership, at every level of the organisation.

How?

The Church of England, with its 26 seats in the House of Lords, has exemptions under the Equality Act 2010, giving it the legal power to discriminate against women.

Did you know that the Church uses this power to allow churches to:

·      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.

One in 12 bishops in the Church of England do not fully accept women as priests or church leaders.

The appointments system for diocesan bishops is skewed so that only two out of the last 11 appointments have been women.

And the situation is getting worse.

Every year more and more clergy are appointed who don’t recognise female priests or actively restrict women’s leadership.

We are campaigning for the simple principle that women and men should be treated equally in the Church of England. 

We are calling for the Government, Church leadership and the Synods to change the rules and end this unfairness.

Help us put an end to discrimination against women in our national Church community.

HOW CAN I HELP?

  • Inform your local Bishop and MP about the Not Equal Yet Campaign. Click the button below to access a customisable email template to send to your Bishop and MP.
  • Stand for election at Deanery, Diocesan and General Synods in your area to help change the national conversation about women’s leadership within the Church. Click the button below to find out more on how you can do this.
  • Come to the first Not Equal Yet Conference on 20 April 2024 at St John’s Waterloo in London to hear more about the campaign and gain insight from an amazing line-up of speakers. Click below to find out more and book your place.

Gender Justice

General Synod

Transformations