Survey Reveals Widespread Prejudice Against Women Priests
Episcopal News Service. June 23, 1998 [98-2194O]
(ENS) A recent survey by the British trade union, MSF, which represents clergy, has revealed widespread prejudice and abuse against women priests in the Church of England. The survey also found that, four years after women were first ordained as priests, most of the prejudice reported comes from male clergy, not the laity. Forty percent of the more than 100 women priests responding to the survey had experienced verbal abuse, 23 percent had suffered harassment, often sexual in nature, and 10 percent of respondents (11 women) had met with physical abuse. Examples of harassment, abuse and discrimination reported by the women priests include: Comments such as 'Have you been wolf-whistled at weddings yet?', 'You're an abomination -- nothing personal though,' and 'Is your husband prepared to wash the altar linen?'; inability of colleagues to treat women priests as equals; isolation experienced by women priests at clergy conference gatherings; some women priests reported being spat at in the street. Chris Ball, MSF national secretary for voluntary and non-profit organizations, said that "It is easy for perpetrators [of abuse] to say they were just being robust. Bullying and harassment are so often fobbed off with cliches. We recognize that thoughtlessness may sometimes be the cause, but people do need to think."