What Shapes Ambivalence towards ‘Feminism’ amongst the Clergy?: Comparing Responses from Clergywomen and Theologically Conservative Clergymen in the Church of England
In 1994 the Church of England ordained its first women priests and since 2014 women clergy have been appointed as bishops, a senior role in the Church’s ordained hierarchy. However, their acceptance into these roles has been highly ambivalent. How ambivalence manifests and the role of deeper beliefs...
| Authors: | ; |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
Religion & gender
Year: 2024, Volume: 14, Issue: 3, Pages: 265-290 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Church of England
/ Women clergy
/ Ordination
/ Feminism (motif)
/ Clergyperson
/ Conservatism
/ Equal rights (motif)
/ History 1990-2023
|
| RelBib Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy AE Psychology of religion CH Christianity and Society FD Contextual theology KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history KBF British Isles KDE Anglican Church NCC Social ethics RB Church office; congregation TK Recent history |
| Further subjects: | B
Ordination of women
B engaged orthodoxy B Gender inequality B Church of England B irresolute equality reform |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In 1994 the Church of England ordained its first women priests and since 2014 women clergy have been appointed as bishops, a senior role in the Church’s ordained hierarchy. However, their acceptance into these roles has been highly ambivalent. How ambivalence manifests and the role of deeper beliefs about gender in the Church is under-researched, especially in understanding the positions of male clergy who oppose women’s ordination. This article draws on data sets from two separate projects conducting semi-structured interviews with both men and women in ordained ministry and compares the ambivalence towards feminism held by female clergy and theologically conservative male clergy. The argument unpacks how institutional and cultural factors intersect with tradition-specific beliefs to generate highly ambivalent views about feminism as a movement. The conclusion suggests ways feminism is mythologised and used to reframe conservative male clergy as vulnerable and as potential victims of misandry. |
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| ISSN: | 1878-5417 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion & gender
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/18785417-bja10015 |
