[The Melbourne Anglican] Many women clergy in the Anglican Church of Australia’s Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn have left and will continue to leave the diocese because of its lack of support for women leaders, a new report says.
It found the number of women ordinands and women in leadership roles had stagnated and declined pronouncedly since the early 1990s because of cultural, theological and organizational barriers. Its authors warn some women could leave the church altogether.
They also believe what has been happening in Canberra and Goulburn reflects what has been happening in the Australian church for the past decade.
Chair the Rev. Lynda McMinn said the level of hurt and anger the working group witnessed in the interviewees was deeper than anticipated, and many had become disengaged from the diocese. She said patriarchal norms drove much of how women were treated.
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