A survey of women priests and deacons in the Church of Ireland has found that "remarkably few" of them believed that gender had any role to play in their ministry, writes Patsy McGarry.
Just four of the 37 ordained women who took part in the survey - a 55 per cent response - agreed that their gender had been an issue. Sixty-four per cent believed it was not an issue, with a further 11 per cent saying that being a woman was actually helpful.
The survey is part of a Commission on Ministry report to this year's General Synod which begins in Dublin today and continues until Thursday. The synod is made up of bishops, clergy and laity, who sit together as the House of Bishops and the House of Representatives. Diocesan synods elect delegates to the House of Representatives, who hold office for a triennium. Delegates from the 12 Irish dioceses include 216 clergy and 432 laity.
Of the 4 per cent of ordained women in the church who responded to the survey that their gender had become an issue, one said: "I believe a few people have a deep aversion to my being a woman - not so much as a priest but as an authority figure." Another comment was: "In one of the churches, I was informed they would have accepted the changes better had I been a man."
The year 2000 was the 10th anniversary of a decision by the Church of Ireland General Synod to admit women to the ordained ministry. The survey investigating the experience of the church since was of ordained women, bishops and archdeacons, and was conducted by a sub-committee chaired by Rev Olive Donohoe.
There was a 100 per cent response from bishops and archbishops whose replies to a question regarding likely reluctance from parishes to accept women as rectors or curates "varied only from 'no' to noting that some parishes may have expressed reservations at the start but that things have changed in that regard". Asked about the reluctance of clergy to accept women curates, 50 per cent of the bishops and archbishops said there was none, with the remainder stating that "there are still some clergy who would not have a woman curate".
Over 40 per cent of the bishops and archbishops considered gender had no role to play in the deployment of clergy, with the remainder saying "it could place a restraint in relation to married women in the stipendiary (ministry) and on ordained women where the spouse was tied to a particular geographical location for work, e.g. farming".
Of the ordained women themselves, 43 per cent of respondents found pastoral work and exercising ministry to people at different stages of their lives "the most rewarding experience".
The two causes of greatest dissatisfaction, at 19 per cent each, were "lack of support and commitment from parishioners" and "the administration work attached to being a priest", including vestry work. Forty-nine per cent said the church "definitely" did not discriminate against women. A further 14 per cent said that they had not experienced it themselves but felt it might exist because "female clergy do longer curacies and more second curacies than men", and they had heard other women complain.
As with other occupations, balancing the demands of ministry with family responsibilities was a challenge, particularly for ordained women with small children and in families where both parents were in the ministry. A second concern was "an awareness of the need to avoid the trap of 'labelling' and over-emphasising the gender issue with women's groups and girl power".