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| Church of England among men-only stragglers over women bishops | Church of England among men-only stragglers over women bishops |
| (5 months later) | |
| Just in time for Christmas, a new parlour game. Apart from the Church of England bishopric, which other jobs outlaw women? [And listen up you feminists, you're not allowed to say "top jobs in politics, business and the media" because there have been female prime ministers (one) and editors (one), while two whole ones currently FTSE 100 chief executives and a third staying on until a successor is found. And in keeping with the nature of Tuesday's groundbreaking synod vote and the fact that once we start talking Saudi Arabia we could be here all day, answers have to be British mainland only.] | Just in time for Christmas, a new parlour game. Apart from the Church of England bishopric, which other jobs outlaw women? [And listen up you feminists, you're not allowed to say "top jobs in politics, business and the media" because there have been female prime ministers (one) and editors (one), while two whole ones currently FTSE 100 chief executives and a third staying on until a successor is found. And in keeping with the nature of Tuesday's groundbreaking synod vote and the fact that once we start talking Saudi Arabia we could be here all day, answers have to be British mainland only.] |
| The answer (and I urge family members to look away now as we will be playing this game this festive season) is that the only exemptions to British equality laws are religious organisations and a few remaining bastions of male hegemony in the military, clubland and freemasonry (although the secret society's rules about female membership are so complicated it would seem fair to demand a bonus point for understanding it). | The answer (and I urge family members to look away now as we will be playing this game this festive season) is that the only exemptions to British equality laws are religious organisations and a few remaining bastions of male hegemony in the military, clubland and freemasonry (although the secret society's rules about female membership are so complicated it would seem fair to demand a bonus point for understanding it). |
| Opponents to today's proposals to allow women to be appointed bishops 20 years after they were ordained into the Anglican church are in good company in the Catholic church, which is why so many of them are expected to turn to Rome if the synod vote is passed. | Opponents to today's proposals to allow women to be appointed bishops 20 years after they were ordained into the Anglican church are in good company in the Catholic church, which is why so many of them are expected to turn to Rome if the synod vote is passed. |
| Anyone looking for an explanation for this position can turn to that icon of modern thinking, Pope Paul VI, who said: "The example recorded in the sacred scriptures of Christ choosing his apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his church." | Anyone looking for an explanation for this position can turn to that icon of modern thinking, Pope Paul VI, who said: "The example recorded in the sacred scriptures of Christ choosing his apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his church." |
| It can be said that the Catholic church is holding the line on the not-entirely-equal-before-God religious status as the situation among Muslims is much more fluid. American scholar Amina Wadud performed the Friday prayer at Oxford's Wolfson College four years ago, followed in 2010 by Raheel Raza becoming the first Muslim-born woman to lead a mixed-gender British congregation. | It can be said that the Catholic church is holding the line on the not-entirely-equal-before-God religious status as the situation among Muslims is much more fluid. American scholar Amina Wadud performed the Friday prayer at Oxford's Wolfson College four years ago, followed in 2010 by Raheel Raza becoming the first Muslim-born woman to lead a mixed-gender British congregation. |
| It's perhaps not surprising that nearly all the organisations that insist of certain men-only roles are spoken of as "brotherhoods", including one of the oldest fraternal societies in the world. The subject of sexism in freemasonry is so complex that even Wikipedia says: "The subject of women and freemasonry is complex and without an easy explanation. Traditionally, only men can be made freemasons in regular freemasonry." | It's perhaps not surprising that nearly all the organisations that insist of certain men-only roles are spoken of as "brotherhoods", including one of the oldest fraternal societies in the world. The subject of sexism in freemasonry is so complex that even Wikipedia says: "The subject of women and freemasonry is complex and without an easy explanation. Traditionally, only men can be made freemasons in regular freemasonry." |
| So, while many grand lodge masters in freemasonry don't admit women, there are some non-mainstream orders and even some female-only lodges such as Order of the Eastern Star, the Order of the Amaranth, and the Daughters of the Nile. There were about 1,000 women in the freemasons in 2005 apparently. | So, while many grand lodge masters in freemasonry don't admit women, there are some non-mainstream orders and even some female-only lodges such as Order of the Eastern Star, the Order of the Amaranth, and the Daughters of the Nile. There were about 1,000 women in the freemasons in 2005 apparently. |
| There are signs that the military is becoming more female-friendly and I'm not talking General Petraus here. Contrary to popular opinion, women are allowed in the Royal Marines. They are simply barred from "close-combat" roles in the infantry or tactical combat teams. A Ministry of Defence review concluded the effects of "gender-mixing" could have "far-reaching and grave consequences", by which they meant that the men would try to protect their female colleagues apparently. | There are signs that the military is becoming more female-friendly and I'm not talking General Petraus here. Contrary to popular opinion, women are allowed in the Royal Marines. They are simply barred from "close-combat" roles in the infantry or tactical combat teams. A Ministry of Defence review concluded the effects of "gender-mixing" could have "far-reaching and grave consequences", by which they meant that the men would try to protect their female colleagues apparently. |
| There are still a few sports and social clubs that bar all women and not just from top jobs. This summer "golf's last bastion of bigotry" in America, the Augusta National club, allowed women. | There are still a few sports and social clubs that bar all women and not just from top jobs. This summer "golf's last bastion of bigotry" in America, the Augusta National club, allowed women. |
| Such bigotry continues in the UK's own "Royal and Ancient club of St Andrews" however. And then of course there's the Garrick club, which even rejected national treasure Joanna Lumley because she wasn't a man. The club is understood to believe that there has to be somewhere left for senior men to be alone. Bless. | Such bigotry continues in the UK's own "Royal and Ancient club of St Andrews" however. And then of course there's the Garrick club, which even rejected national treasure Joanna Lumley because she wasn't a man. The club is understood to believe that there has to be somewhere left for senior men to be alone. Bless. |
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