A collection of resources and ideas for ordained women working in the Episcopal Church - and those who want to be their allies.
Clergy in the Episcopal Church face many unique issues, including some really weird ones related to hiring and compensation (oh man, clergy tax law...). For women, these challenges are often heightened, and disparities in call and compensation are common across many dioceses. Statistical evidence shows that women are less likely to be hired at so-called "cardinal" parishes, and show an alarming pay gap that begins when women are first hired, and only grows as their tenure in the church extends. (Notably, CPG statistics do not include the race/ethnicity of clergy. It is possible, perhaps even likely, that this obscures significant pay and hiring differences between white women and women of color in full time ministry.)
Beyond compensation, women still face issues ensuring their basic physical safety within the communities they are called to serve. Since the ordination of the Philadelphia 11 in 1974, ordained women have been fighting an uphill battle for safety, respect, and meaningful employment in the church. Any actions or attitudes which discount women's ministry, or the leadership of younger women, creates a pervasive attitude which endangers women's lives and livelihood. Persistent sexism and misogyny makes the harassment, abuse and even rape of women in the church alarmingly common; the fear of gender-based harassment or abuse likely silences many more voices. This makes me sad for the Church as well as for individual women: we will be a stronger church operating with greater integrity when we can make sure the vocation of all is honored alongside the dignity of every human being.
I remain an optimist, and hope that more women sharing their experiences, along with wider discussion of available data can make us more and more into the Church God wants us to be. Today women serve in all capacities in a church that is ever more fully grasping the many gifts of leadership that God has given us. (Can I get a Hallelujah for the ordination of all these black female diocesan bishops?) While we still face undue critique for our physical appearance, a new generation of women are increasingly able to express their femininity in a wider variety of ways at the altar, in the pulpit, and in the House of Bishops. We are blessed with more than four decades of ordained women in our church, centuries of women's wisdom through the ages, and many role models. Progress continues to be made, and more is possible.
Want to be an ally on clergy hiring and wage parity? I made a handout for that! Remember: If you are well paid, or a dude (or both!), you are one of the best people to speak up for those who are underpaid.
Here are some resources I recommend for women in the church:
Books
What Works for Women at Work - a great book that will a) make clear it's not just you; b) give you some strategies to work with and through the B.S. and c) actually does a pretty good job of examining how the patterns of discrimination women face at work differ for women of color (a chapter includes data & anecdotes from African-American, Latin, and Asian women).
Online Reports/Info on the Gender Pay Gap
The 2015 CPG Compensation Report - the O.G. of compensation figures, from the Church Pension Group.
Frank Logue, Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of GA's great blog post, which gives me hope that dudes can be allies and our problems are fixable.
I wrote this entire "white paper" after interviewing a whole bunch of diocesan officers and compensation committee members across the US. (Shout out to the dude from Hawaii!) If your diocese does something different, or if you think it does a particularly good job of helping clergy negotiate compensation, please contact me and let me know.
Facebook Groups to join:
TYCWP - The Young Clergy Women Project (40 and under), which has a multitude of sub-groups for special topics/ministry contexts (the one for Anglican/Episcopalians includes women above the 40 year age cap). They also put on a conference every year.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling - which is a total free-for-all, but often a helpful place for information sharing. This group is specifically focused on promoting women as candidates for bishop.
Conferences/ConEd:
(I haven't been to either of these, but know folks who have and standby them.)
Leading Women - being held near Chicago in 2019!
Beautiful Authority - a leadership conference for women in the Episcopal Church.
Beyond compensation, women still face issues ensuring their basic physical safety within the communities they are called to serve. Since the ordination of the Philadelphia 11 in 1974, ordained women have been fighting an uphill battle for safety, respect, and meaningful employment in the church. Any actions or attitudes which discount women's ministry, or the leadership of younger women, creates a pervasive attitude which endangers women's lives and livelihood. Persistent sexism and misogyny makes the harassment, abuse and even rape of women in the church alarmingly common; the fear of gender-based harassment or abuse likely silences many more voices. This makes me sad for the Church as well as for individual women: we will be a stronger church operating with greater integrity when we can make sure the vocation of all is honored alongside the dignity of every human being.
I remain an optimist, and hope that more women sharing their experiences, along with wider discussion of available data can make us more and more into the Church God wants us to be. Today women serve in all capacities in a church that is ever more fully grasping the many gifts of leadership that God has given us. (Can I get a Hallelujah for the ordination of all these black female diocesan bishops?) While we still face undue critique for our physical appearance, a new generation of women are increasingly able to express their femininity in a wider variety of ways at the altar, in the pulpit, and in the House of Bishops. We are blessed with more than four decades of ordained women in our church, centuries of women's wisdom through the ages, and many role models. Progress continues to be made, and more is possible.
Want to be an ally on clergy hiring and wage parity? I made a handout for that! Remember: If you are well paid, or a dude (or both!), you are one of the best people to speak up for those who are underpaid.
Here are some resources I recommend for women in the church:
Books
What Works for Women at Work - a great book that will a) make clear it's not just you; b) give you some strategies to work with and through the B.S. and c) actually does a pretty good job of examining how the patterns of discrimination women face at work differ for women of color (a chapter includes data & anecdotes from African-American, Latin, and Asian women).
Online Reports/Info on the Gender Pay Gap
The 2015 CPG Compensation Report - the O.G. of compensation figures, from the Church Pension Group.
Frank Logue, Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of GA's great blog post, which gives me hope that dudes can be allies and our problems are fixable.
I wrote this entire "white paper" after interviewing a whole bunch of diocesan officers and compensation committee members across the US. (Shout out to the dude from Hawaii!) If your diocese does something different, or if you think it does a particularly good job of helping clergy negotiate compensation, please contact me and let me know.
Facebook Groups to join:
TYCWP - The Young Clergy Women Project (40 and under), which has a multitude of sub-groups for special topics/ministry contexts (the one for Anglican/Episcopalians includes women above the 40 year age cap). They also put on a conference every year.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling - which is a total free-for-all, but often a helpful place for information sharing. This group is specifically focused on promoting women as candidates for bishop.
Conferences/ConEd:
(I haven't been to either of these, but know folks who have and standby them.)
Leading Women - being held near Chicago in 2019!
Beautiful Authority - a leadership conference for women in the Episcopal Church.