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The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia

General

The Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia is probably regarded as being at the forefront of women's progress in the Church. On the surface if one is simply to take uncritical statistical evidence as a measure of progress then it would appear that great strides have been made. There are indeed many women, both lay and ordained, who hold leadership positions across the spectrum of church activities. What is now needed however is engaged research which explores the qualitative nature of the experience for women in various positions of leadership. This is one of the projects to be explored by the new Centre for Women's Studies.
While IAWN has a commitment to raising the profile of women across the spectrum of church leadership and decision making I am also conscious of the extraordinarily selfless work being done by so many women in the enduring fields of social services, mission agencies, Sunday School, youth groups, vestries, church choirs and myriad voluntary groups associated with the Church - so much of this work is both unheralded and in my view insufficiently recognised. Even as I notice this I know that the majority of women responsible for these core marks of God's mission are the least likely to either expect acknowledgment or recognition. They serve with such generosity and such humility as that is what they understand the Gospel imperative to be - it remains their faith example and their work is worthy of mention and celebration!

Women's issues and concerns

Overcoming patriarchy! The greatest obstacle to most women is still that of overcoming either their own fears and doubts derived from living uncritically with patriarchy or it is the actual day to day lived experience of having to struggle against patriarchy. Both in turn are equally debilitating. Other issues are access to theological training, the lack of financial and practical support for women clergy, particularly Maori women. No such priests receive stipends and while some have a chaplaincy role as well which may be paid, the majority pay for their ministry out of their own pensions or pockets. Most women clergy in Tikanga Maori receive no travel, book or housing allowance.

Vision for women

The visions promoted are those shared among all the women of my Province, and they are primarily to do with giving due honour to resolution ACC13/31, the MDGs and ensuring women have access to quality theological educational experiences regardless of where they live and work.

Women in decision making

Women in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia are fortunate to be well represented at all levels of the Church's decision-making bodies. There is significant representation of women at General Synod, Standing Committee and Diocesan levels. A number of our Diocesan Secretaries are women. The General Secretary of the Church is Jackie Pearse. The new Executive Officer for Te Kotahitanga, which is the national co-ordinating body for all theological educational institutions in the Province, is Paula Jakeman. Also the appointment of The Reverend Helen Jacobi as Dean of the Napier Cathedral gave great joy to many women. Helen is not only the first woman to be appointed as Cathedral Dean but she is also among a minority of New Zealanders currently holding Dean's positions in the local Church! The longest-service Dean of the Theological College is a woman! The issue with which we are concerned is not so much the numbers of women (quantity) but ensuring the highest quality of our representation. We are cautious about the risks to us all of token representation.

Ordination of women

Deacons: Since 1977
Priests: Since 1977. Many hundreds of ordained women.
Bishops: Since 1977. Two: one retired, one elected in March 2008
Again, we are fortunate in Aotearoa, New Zealand and latterly in Polynesia to have a long history of support for women's ordination as priests and bishops. I do not have accurate figures but certainly for priests and deacons there are hundreds!

Activities related to the MDGs and Beijing Platform for Action

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs and a wide range of related peace and justice initiatives are regularly and readily received as motions for action within our General Synod. We have a full-time Social Justice Commissioner, supported by an active and representative Commission who also have responsibility for promoting and embedding the Gospel imperatives for social justice and for peace and all of these things are within my own teaching portfolio for all students at the Provincial Theological College. These are some of the groups which help promote women's and justice issues within our church:

• National Social Justice Commissioner
• Mothers' Union
• Anglican Women's Association
• IAWN
• Nga Kahui Wahine
• Pacific Women's Groups
• Social Justice Commission and Commissioner
• And many other NGOs

Women's organizations

Church: Centre for Women's Studies, Anglican Women's Association

Secular: National Council of Women

The Anglican Church of Australia

Women's issues and concerns

• Openness to be able to answer call as bishop
• Women's presence and voices in decision-making bodies
• Homosexuality
• Violence
• Wage gap at higher executive level positions
• Greater proportion of women in casual or part time employment.

Women in decision making

Women are able to sit on all decision-making bodies at all levels of the Church, however their representation on these bodies is not consistent and is rarely representative. There is an over-representation of women at some levels of the church, particularly parish groups, and under-representation at diocesan and national levels. Some dioceses have better representation than others.
The Women's commission is working on gathering data to show the extent of the problem.

Ordination of women

Deacons:
Priests: General Synod passed an ordinance to allow ordination of women as Priests in 1994. The first women were ordained in 1994.
Bishops: The Appellate Tribunal ruled it was legal to ordain women as Bishops in 2007. None yet ordained.

Activities related to MDGs and Beijing Platform for Action

Mothers' Union and Anglicare support/run programs that directly impact on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), though they are not always explicit in their work.
Anglican Board of Mission (ABM) has the MDGs as central to its development work.

Women's organizations

(Italics = organizations that work on all MDGs)
Church: General Synod Women's Commission (equivalent of women's desk), Mothers' Union, Anglican Women Australia, (Anglicare)
Secular: White Ribbon Foundation (elimination of violence against women), UNIFEM, Office for Women (Australian Government), YWCA

The Church of Bangladesh

Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil

General

Our Anglican Website in Brazil is:www.ieab.org.br

Women's issues and concerns

• More women leaders in the church.
• Equal salaries for women and men, especially for clergy.
• Elect a female bishop.
• The fight for equal rights in civil society.

What we're doing - programmes, events and reports

Report of the Conference held on the 20th Anniversary of the Ordination of Women to the Priesthood, September 2005: In Portuguese/ In English

Women in decision making

At Provincial level 30% of representatives are women and women are nominated for all committees.
Ordination of women
Deacons: 5
Priests: 30
Bishops: none yet

Activities related to MDGs and Beijing Platform for Action

Parishes are asked to develop social projects that align with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These groups also support projects around the MDGs and the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA): Episcopal Anglican Women's Union-UMEAB; Health Space - Anglican Diocese of Rio de Janeiro; Santa Teresa Project - Anglican Diocese of Rio de Janeiro; Daughter's of the King; Pastoral Committees

Women's organizations

(Italics = organisations that work on MDGs but not specifically women)
Church: National Women's Assembly, Episcopal Anglican Women's Union (UMEAB), Daughter's of The King Assembly.
Ecumenical: World Council of Churches - Decade to Overcome Violence, New Decade of Solidarity of Churches with Women, Catholics for the Right to Decide,(CONIC - National Council of Churches, CLAI - Latin American Council of Churches)
Secular:Viva Rio (NGO), GAPA - AIDS Suporting Group

The Anglican Church of Burundi

The Anglican Church of Canada

Women's issues and concerns

• Poverty
• Poor housing
• Equality in education (equal budgets do not always mean equal results)
• Boring jobs
• Immigrant Settlement
• Racism
• Ageism
• Unresponsive Government

Vision for women

Our vision here is to become relevant to Canadian women and to help them see beyond our own borders. In addition, we need to see what is going on right here.  Aboriginal women need a strong voice within the church and even more so within our social and political structures. We have asked the bishop and the staff with special responsibilities in that area to meet with us and to develop some structures which would enable the IAWN-Canada to become relevant in the lives of women living on reserves or in cities. There also is a need for immigrant women from many countries to be an active part of the church and society. Our vision is wide, now we need to develop ways of making visions real.

Women in decision making

There is a history here within the church of having women participate in the synods and other decision-making units of the church. But the awareness of that need for equality does not always surface when elections are made at the parish level to send women to serve on parochial committees, on diocesan synod committees, or at the general (national) synod. Part of the issue lies in the fact that there are other categories also considered - youth, geographic distribution, expertise in certain areas - which sometimes cut down the number of women. We do not have a women's desk nor is there much hope for getting one again. It was (in my view) erroneously decided that women had a real voice in the church so that it was no longer needed. When, as a voting member of general synod, I raised an issue about women in the church, I was opposed by another woman who maintained that we already were equal. Clearly she had not counted men and women there!

Ordination of women

Women are able to be ordained at all levels.
Women priests are increasing in numbers rapidly and more of them are rectors of very large churches. The seminaries report that over fifty per cent of their students are women so it can be expected that a fifty-fifty balance will be reached in the future as more male priests retire. Women bishops, on the other hand are increasing slowly but those we have are great. One of them, Victoria Matthews, was a very close runner up in the election for Primate. She continues to serve on international commissions in the church. When The Rt. Rev. Fred Hiltz was elected Primate, a woman, Sue Moxley, became his successor as bishop of his former diocese. She was part of the Anglican delegation to the 52nd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women and has shown interest in the IAWN.

Activities related to the MDGs and Beijing Platform for Action

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are a marvelous bar to be reached. In order to keep it from seeming overwhelming, there is a matched list of what each of us can do to implement them. That always leads to discussions which reach into not only what individuals can do, but also what churches, organizations, and societies can accomplish. We usually take a look at legislation and how in a democracy we can affect the laws or regulations that can move each of the MDGs forward. For practical purposes of focussing on one of them, the IAWN-Canada has taken on number three, on the empowerment of women. That in turn becomes part of any discussions about aboriginal women's concerns. Poverty, which affects elderly women in greater numbers than most others, is also an issue and one to which we have become immune. I have called it "The last of the socially accepted abuses"!

Women's organizations

(Italics = organisations that work on MDGs but not specifically women)
Church: Anglican Church Women, Mothers' Union
Ecumenical: Women's Inter Church Council, Society of St. John the Divine convent
Secular: Voice of Women, National Action Committee on the Status of Women, YWCA, Retired Teachers, (United Nations Association)

The Church of the Province of Central Africa

Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America

Province de L'Eglise Anglicane Du Congo Congo

The Church of England

Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui

Women's issues and concerns

Within the church

There is no structure, neither explicitly in constitutional provisions nor in implicit practice, to prescribe or encourage ordained or lay women to participate in church decision-making bodies, such as vestries, diocesan committees, or provincial committees, despite a democratic process of election. More than 10 years have passed since the Beijing Declaration called for equal participation of women; we have to hasten our process and be more effective.

Within the society

Domestic violence: There are insufficient resources to attend to the big number of extremely tragic cases, resulting in families of mother and children committing suicide.

New immigrant wives from Mainland China: Very often young wives married to older husbands and with young children, coupled with severe adjustment problems to a highly urbanised environment. The HKSKH has responded promptly and pro-actively to this issue by providing centres of information and assistance in Mainland China and follow-up care and assistance after arrival.

Care for the aged: The demographic of HK population is aging; family structure is more like an inverted triangle with fewer young people who are struggling with their own livelihood, and care of the aged is often neglected. Old women have to look after their husbands in ill-health and tend to grandchildren: their plights are intense. HKSKH has responded to this need by rending all sorts of relief such as delivering meals, health care at home, centres for child care and for aged folks.

The Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean

Women's issues and concerns

• Poverty
• Domestic violence
• Illiteracy
• HIV/AIDS are the main issues.

In church things are moving slowly, up to now only one woman has been ordained priest.  In the last synod it has been agreed that women may be ordained to priesthood provided that the church community is ready to have a woman priest in their parish.

Vision for women

More opportunities should be given to the vulnerable women of the province, like education, health care, training, and micro-credit schemes to help them to start a project, to become independent and empower them to participate in economic issues.

What we're doing - programmes, events and reports

Women's World Day of Prayer was celebrated in all the churches of the Province on the 7th of March 2008.
A service will be held in our Cathedral to mark the Annunciation to the BVM and Lady's Day on the 29th of March 2008.

Women in decision making

Women participate in the decision-making of the church as members of the PCC, Diocesan Sydon, Provincial Synod and Board of Commissioners. We even have a woman as Chancellor of the province, which is an achievement.

Ordination of women

Deacons: Women able to be ordained but none at the moment.
Priests: First ordained in 2006. One woman has been ordained as a priest.
Women can be lay readers in all Dioceses

Activities related to MDGs and the Beijing Platform for Action

In actions at diocesan level as well as at parish level we are contributing towards the MDGs.

Women's organizations

Church: Mothers' Union
Other: Corona International, Soroptimists, Lion's International

The Church of Ireland

General

The Church of Ireland covers the whole of the island even though there are two political jurisdictions. It is in a tiny minority. Population is scattered and there are few parishes in rural Ireland, with clusters of large congregations in cities and in Northern Ireland.

The Church of Ireland comprises two provinces, one of which straddles the border. Of the 12 dioceses, three straddle the border.

Women's issues and concerns

There has never been any preclusion to women sitting on decision-making bodies within the Church. However, women seem to have been reluctant to put their names forward for election to Diocesan and thence to Provincial levels in the Church. There is a majority of men on Central Committees and on General Synod. This is also obvious in the secular world of workplace and voluntary groups. The situation is gradually improving but women need more encouragement to use their talents as leaders and organizers.

Domestic violence has been recognized as serious. More organizations need to face this issue, as does the Church.

Expensive childcare.
High cost of housing means that both partners in a relationship go out to work to pay high mortgages. This in turn causes family problems.
Better facilities for the integration of immigrants.

Vision for women

That all women would be empowered to use their potential to the full.

Women in decision making

General Synod Membership, 2007:
Clerical members 13 women out of 216
Lay members 99 women out of 432
Females were never precluded as members, but the first female members appeared around 1958.
Ordination of women
Deacons: Approved in 1984. No permanent deacons
Priests: Approved 1990. In 2007 there were 89 women priests in total; 30 are incumbents; 22 are curates, 34 are non-stipendiary.

Bishops:

Ordination to any of these positions was allowed in 1990.

Activities related to MDGs and the Beijing Platform for Action

Church of Ireland Bishops' Appeal, Board of Mission, Mothers' Union all support the Millennium Development Goals and Beijing Platform for Action.

Women's organizations

Church: Mothers' Union, (Bishop's Appeal)
Secular: National Council of Women, Irish Aid, Concern, Trocaire, Gorta

The Nippon Sei Ko Kai (The Anglican Communion in Japan)

The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem & The Middle East Middle East

The Anglican Church of Kenya

The Anglican Church of Korea

The Church of the Province of Melanesia

Women's issues and concerns

Church: Need for wider participation of women at all levels of decision making; ordination of women.
Family: Extra-marital affairs leading to separation and divorce; domestic violence; child sexual exploitation; high birth rate with the average women having more than four children, thus tying women into a traditional cultural role which sees them restricted to domestic duties; "Big man" culture which tends to favour males.

Environment and resource management: for example, poor forestry practices are spoiling water sources, and as women are the traditional carriers of water, they have to travel a lot further to obtain water for the family;

Health issues: HIV/AIDS - just starting to take off in the Solomon Islands; Corruption and poor governance, which adversely affect law and order (and thus personal security), and provision of health and education;

Politics: Lack of representation of women in politics - for example, in the Solomon Islands there has only been one women in parliament for one term since independence in 1978.

Education: High School Fees - there is no free education, and at the secondary level school fees are up to 50% of the average family income. As a result families have to choose which one of their children will be put through high school as far as is possible, and most families choose to put a boy through high school, meaning very few women have completed secondary education; This is reflected in poor literacy rates, especially among women.

Women in decision making

Women are considered for all positions on decision-making bodies, but representation is not equal. Strategic planning now includes women's issues. For example, first chairlady appointed to parish council and first woman tutor at Bishop Patterson Theological College.

Women have played a very important role in peace-making and reconciliation, particularly in the Solomon Islands following the ethnic tension.

Ordination of women
General Synod passed an ordinance allowing the ordination of women, but only three of eight dioceses have ratified the ordinance. Women are in training at Bishop Patterson Theological College and there are two female catechists.

It would appear that the opposition to the ordination of women is largely based on cultural rather than Biblical and theological grounds, and those women who have graduated from BPTC are hesitant to pursue ordination in the face of cultural conservatism. It is likely that the first ordained women will probably be in one of the religious orders and have a ministry primarily in that religious order where cultural objections will not be as significant and the environment more supportive.

Activities related to MDGs and Beijing Platform for Action

Women's groups in CoM use MDGs and BPfA in their programs. The Inclusive Communities Program

Women's organizations

Church: Mothers' Union, Community of the Sisters of the Church (CSC) and Community of the Sisters of Melanesia (CSM), Christian Care Centre, Girls Friendly Society; Inclusive Communities Programme
Ecumenical: Solomon Islands Christian Association Federation of Women, Women's Desk of the Pacific Conference of Churches, World Council of Churches, Roman Catholic Women's Organisation, Dorcas (Seventh Day Adventist), Bishop Patterson Theological College (BPTC) Anglican (also has United Church of Solomon Islands faculty and staff), Women for Peace, Various Youth Groups, Solomon Islands Christian Association (SICA) Federation of Women, United Church women, South Seas Evangelical Church women's fellowship.
Secular: Solomon Islands Government (SIG) Women's Unit, National Council of Women (NCW), Development Services Exchange, National Council of Women, Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), Women's Development Division (SIG)
Vois Blo Mere (Pijin for "Voice of Women" - a radio programme on the national broadcaster), Family Support Centre, Oxfam (SI), World Vision (SI), Development Services Exchange, Solomon Islands Development Trust (SIDT), Solomon Islands Planned Parenthood Association (SIPPA), Ministry of Women, Youth and Children, Ministry of Health

La Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico

The Church of the Province of Myanmar (Burma)

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)

The Church of North India (United)

Mission Statement

The Church of North India as a United and Uniting church is committed to announce the Good News of the reign of God inaugurated through death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in proclamation and to demonstrate in actions to restore the integrity of God's creation through continuous struggle against the demonic powers by breaking down the barriers of cast, class, gender, economic inequality and exploitation of the nature.

Challenges, issues and concerns arising out of the contemporary situation

Historically speaking, Indian Christians emerged to be an isolated, non-controversial, exclusive club "doing their thing" without any impact on Indian history or any contribution to the Indian scene. Christians depended on missionary interpretations of history, religions and culture. Indian Christians of lower social and economic status, considered the fifth caste till now, remain challenged by all kinds of social ills. Past mission work suffered because of the status given to them by the majority of Indian minds.

The rich, affluent and power hungry sections of Indian society have given a peculiar dominant culture to Indian middle and lower classes, as the other side of flourishing India is enough to colour it with gloom. It has given birth to a class of people who eye moneyed people with jealousy and end up becoming criminals. The Christian values and righteousness have faced a total overhauling. Opportunism, self interests and self benefits, dishonesty and lack of integrity are thought to be "virtues" to survive in India.

Church's intervention

A church like CNI needs to do a lot more than what it is doing at present concerning women's and children's ministry.
All along, the church at the top level and the urban church (25%) at its heels, have done a great deal beginning with "Transfer of vision", "Ecumenical decade for solidarity with women", "Towards holistic understanding of mission (THUM)", "Transformed and transforming communities", accepting the invitation to CNI women to participate in the Anglican delegation to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, and now "Back to Basics" evolved as CREEM ("Congregational renewal for effective engagement in mission"). All this carried out to help people face the challenges of the emerging scene and issues. Awareness programmes keep happening at the diocesan and synod levels but without many signs of percolation to congregations in general.

"Congregational Renewal for Effective Engagement in Mission"

A fresh development in the Church of North India, CREEM (Congregational Renewal For Effective Engagement In Mission ), begun in March 2007, has given a much needed impetus to the church. God is active in history is the assurance and optimism of the Church to look back, feel the present and look forward. It has realised that missionary views of the 19th and 20th centuries to consider other cultures as "pagan and uncivilised" has left Christians feeling aliens in their own country.

Presently, minority communities are greatly affected by religious and cultural values of the majority community and as a result of facing discrimination at every level of social life. The church is faced with challenges from other religious faiths:

• the historical process in India and the culture
• the poor, oppressed and marginalised people
• the feminist movements
• the concern for wholeness of creation
• the counter culture and the values and priorities of the Kingdom of God.

The congregations being regional bodies and reflecting regional aspirations and concerns are recognised to bring mission concerns and Christian thought to the people they live close to. (impacted by the paper presented at National Consultation on CREEM)

Church women's issues and concerns

Although the Church encourages women and gives them freedom through the Constitution, women in general have yet to develop confidence in themselves to come forward boldly.

Church men and women do not appreciate the presence of a woman on the pulpit. There is still a lot to be done to bring women to equal status with men. The common women's issues exist in the areas with less literacy and education.

Realisation that the struggles of women are a justice question, and that teachings of the Bible do not and cannot discriminate God's children, has helped to strengthen the women empowerment processes.

Vision for women

Programmes planned at CNI-Women's Fellowship for Christian Service level:

• National Conference on Women and Gender Issue
• Training Programme on Harnessing Gender Justice
• Providing alternative livelihood to the people affected by tsumani
• Restoring dignity of women and children through CNI's anit-trafficking programme in Eastern Himalayas.

Ongoing programmes with the help of Women's Desk and Programme Office for development of leadership among women are spread over all the 26 Dioceses of CNI.

Also workshops and seminars on gender sensitization are being held in different dioceses by the Women's Desk Coordinator, Rachael Pradhan, and Ms. Ranjana Caleb from the Diocese of Chandigarh. The target is to visit all the dioceses of CNI. Margaret Sawyer and Judith Simms were present to prepare leaders to take up the programme further.

What we're doing - programmes, events and reports

The Church of North India has been engaged in advocating for gender justice since its inception and has developed a strong network of grassroots women's movements. Organised networking group of Women's Fellowship for Christian Service (WFCS) has actively participated in the total mission of the church. With the cooperation of the Women's Desk of CNI, it has arranged many programmes, primarily aimed at deepening awareness and responding in concrete action to women's concerns, as well as encouraging more participation by women in the life of the Church in India.
It is noteworthy and an occasion to rejoice that the WFCS became a member of Mothers' Union in 2007. 
We strongly believe that emancipation of people from poverty based on sustainable economic growth, social development, environmental protection and social justice requires the involvement of women. Full and equal participation of women and men as agents and beneficiaries is the main key.
During 2007 various programmes were organized at synod, regional and diocesan level including:

• Leadership effectiveness for women leaders
• Re-reading the Scripture from a feminist perspective
• Young Women's Training Programme
• Women and men towards a transformed and transforming community
• Christian home makers and Christian family values
• Church to focus on harnessing gender justice through awareness
• Gender, culture and social transformation

Zanobia's Reflections on UNCSW 51 - 2007

Attending the 51st Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women was a very first experience of having exposure to a top-level international commission. The exciting part was that there were women from all over, gathered for the cause of women. It was a huge feeling being one of them. Simplicity and humility was one important facet of the life of people present, working with people around the world on a common cause, and this was palpable everywhere. This might be a value to treasure and a lesson to learn for many. A valuable treasure in friends within IAWN, from different communities and fields of work, is to keep for life. The association with them removed many doubts and inhibitions. One only needs to "enlarge the place of one's tents ... and strengthen one's stakes" (Isaiah 54.2). One could feel encouraged and certain of spirituality in action; that strength is helpful to understand people of other faiths who are committed to similar causes. Involvement with human causes is difficult to deliberate without getting spiritually involved.
- Zanobia Mal, IAWN Provincial Link, Church of North India, and Coordinator for Work with Women and Children, Diocese of Chandigarh

Women in decision making

Synod 2005-2008, passed amendment to the constitution, removing gender bias, inclusion of at least one-third of either gender. Empowered women may even rule the church and its administration with a two-thirds majority.
Next Synod to happen this year (2008) is going to include office bearer of Women's Fellowship in its Executive Committee besides the allocated percentage of women members. A similar step will be taken to place women on boards, commissions and other committees.
Ordination of women - Clause added to its Constitution. However, the Church had ordained a good number of women before putting it in the Constitution. Many women leaders placed at strategic points work along with the Church.

Ordination of women

Deacons and priests: 50 ordained presbyters, who are ordained as deacons first and then to Presbyter. Few women work in pastorates as acceptance is declining
Bishops: None yet, few filling nomination papers for election

Activities related to MDGs and Beijing Platform for Action

Evolving and developing

Women's organizations

Church: Women's Desk, Desk of Children Concerns, Communication Director, Desk for Youth Concerns, WFCS (Women's Fellowship for Christian Service ), WFCS Women's Conference
Ecumenical: CNI is an ecumenical union of six denominations

The Church of Pakistan (United)

Women's issues and concerns

• Ignorance about women rights and issues
• Patriarchy - specified stereotypes roles designed for women
• Poverty and lack of economic opportunities
• Patriarchy and stereotypes discriminatory norms and attitudes
• Discriminatory laws and policies
• Difficulty in getting judicial redress
• Biased and discriminatory attitude of law enforcing agencies
• Violence manifested in extreme forms such as honour killing, rape, mutilation of body parts shown in increasing incidents of violence against women
• Education and health indicators are unsatisfactory
• Harassment at workplace and in transports facility
• No recognition of women's work, especially in sub sectors of economy
• Trafficking in persons
• Lack of implementing mechanisms and political commitment on Government's part to ensure women's rights.

Ordination of women

The Church's constitution is silent on this matter

Activities related to MDGs and Beijing Platform for Action

Run by Women's Desk: Feminism, Women Rights and Activism Training Program for Clergy wives; Women's Health Concerns project.

Women's organizations

Church: Women's Desk, Women's Fellowship, Program for Empowerment of Women (PEW), Women's Synodical Church of Pakistan
Ecumenical: Church World Services
Secular: Joint Action Committee, Women's Action Forum, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Asr Resource Centre, South Asia Partnership, Shirkat Gah, Simorgh, GHS Legal Aid

The Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea

Women's issues and concerns

A) Within the Church
Leadership and voice: The Mothers' Union has a voice in the church through the Provincial Council, but not other women which is the bigger group.
Fewer couples are having their marriages blest.
Women in Ministry needs to expand
B) In the wider community.
More marriages are falling apart.
Violence against women is a major problem not addressed by the church.
More teenage pregnancies and marriages.
Sexual violence is also in the increase.

Women in decision making

A Mothers' Union representative sits on Provincial Council

Ordination of women

Women cannot be ordained, although some have attended theological training and have roles as lay ministers.

Activities related to MDGs and BPfA

Mothers' Union, Anglicare STOPAIDS, Diocesan HIV/AIDS Programs,

Women's organizations

Church: Mothers' Union
Ecumenical: Ecumenical Churches Council and the Melanesian Council of Churches
Secular: National Council of women

The Episcopal Church in the Philippines

Women's issues and concerns

• Women's right to vote in decision making bodies of the church - Executive and Diocesan Councils
• Overseas Contract Workers - mostly women - being abused sexually and mentally by employers, broken families due to absence of mother in their formative years, etc.
• Violence against women - incest, rape, sexual harassment. Violence against women iin the church (by the ordained and lay people working/employed by the church) also exists, but the culture of silence hinders these women from speaking out.

Vision for women

That younger women of the church become more involved and take seriously gender issues like violence, poor health care systems, poverty, equality, etc., because by the time they get older, they should be the ones carrying on the struggle.
In our church, there should be representation of women in church committees and other structures and not just a token whereby, just to please the women's group, they include only one woman. Women's abilities - their gifts, talents and creativity - should be a factor for their inclusion in any committee or group organised by the church; they should not be threatened by a woman who "knows too much." If this were the thinking of the church authorities, then equal representation of men and women could be achieved. Thus, committed women leaders/models for our younger women to emulate should be harnessed.

What we're doing - programmes, events and reports

Activities include cooperating with other lay organizations like youth and men's groups in advocacy of issues and concerns.

Women in decision making

Our women's lay organisation, Episcopal Church Women (ECW), is represented as an ex-officio member of diocesan councils, executive councils and Synod - which are very important decision-making bodies of the Church. As ex-officio, we have seat but NO VOICE in these bodies. Efforts by our National ECW to push for the power to vote will hopefully gain ground.

Ordination of women

Deacons: Some
Priests: Some - each of our six dioceses has at least two women clergy.
Bishops: None yet; although women can be nominated, much resistance to such is expected

Activities relating to MDGs and Beijing Platform for Action

The church has a number of programmes and development projects geared towards contributing to the attainment of the MDGs.

Women's organizations

Church: Episcopal Church Women (ECW), Social Ministry Unit
Ecumenical: Women's Desk, Asian Church Women's Conference (ACWC) and Church Women United in the Philippines (CWUP). Women's Desk of NCCP (National Council of Churches in the Philippines)
Secular: Gabriela

L'Eglise Anglican au Rwanda

The Scottish Episcopal Church

Personal vision for women

My personal vision for the future of IAWN and of women in the church and around the world is to keep talking to one another and to promote the wellbeing of women and inform all agencies that it is necessary to understand women's issues. In that way they can support the work of the UN Commission on the Status of Women and the role of IAWN in that work.

Church of the Province of South East Asia

The Church of South India (United)

Anglican Church of Southern Africa

Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur de America

The Episcopal Church of the Sudan

Women's issues and concerns

• Empowerment and human rights
• Gender-based violence awareness
• Education programs

Vision for women

• Creation of a non-violent co-existence in their communities
• Creation of awareness through enlightenment programmes for their rights as vulnerable, discriminated and marginalised people.
• Skill empowerment through training in business management; enhance the small capital they have for their current businesses which they are running to sustain their families so that they will be able to meet their basic needs and raise their standard of living.

Women in decision making

• Women have achieved nearly 50% in decision-making bodies of the Church - PCC, Standing Committees, Synods
• Women are also represented in the high-level ECS Commissions, including in education, theology, evangelism and mission, budget and finance, and church properties.

Ordination of women

Most of the 24 dioceses have ordained women priests - about 150 in all.

Activities relating to MDGs and Beijing Platform for Action

The Province has made a great move towards achieving the MDGs, especially:

• MDG No. 1: Eradicate poverty and hunger
• MDG No. 2: Universal primary education
• MDG No. 3: Promote gender equality and empowerment - some how.
• MDG No. 6: Combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases

Women's organizations

Church: Women's Desk, Mothers' Union
Secular: Government's Women/Gender Officers, UN Mission in Sudan, Voice of Women for Peace and Faith

The Anglican Church of Tanzania

Women's issues and concerns

• To empower women economically
• To fight for women's self-confidence
• For women to break the silence, especially when their rights are violated

Personal vision for women

• To take the top position on the highest decision-making church organs
• To fight for women's recognition in the society and community in terms of what we are doing and how they can trust us - e.g. trusted women in high positions should set by example that women are capable
• For IAWN and Mothers' Union to work more closely together.

What we're doing - programmes, events and reports

• Raise awareness about IAWN
• Establishment of small income-generating programmes/seminars
• Sharing good practices as well as successful stories of our fellow women
• Maintaining communication network to share our progress and challenges facing women, as well as the efforts to harmonise the challenges.

Ordination of women

So far in Tanzania, women have been ordained in the "Low Church Dioceses" but not in the "High Church" ones, though still the number is very low. Not more than ten women have been ordained as priests..

Activities related to MDGs and Beijing Platform for Action

• Women's organisations such as the Mothers' Union have introduced packages such as gender violence which have been used to raise understanding of what gender violence means, types of violence, causes, and how to reduce or stop violence at different levels of life from the individual family and community, to national level. The awareness has helped to reduce the violence practices.
• Following their participation at the 2008 session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, Grace V. Mokiwa and Irene Mhogolo will report on the discussions they had about the importance of financing for gender.

The Church of the Province of Uganda

Women's issues and concerns

• Domestic violence
• Traditional/cultural perception of lower status of women in community
• Female genital mutilation
• Illiteracy above 60% of women
• HIV/AIDS
• Poverty
• War/civil conflict
• Environmental hazards like drought, floods
• General disempowerment of women and girl children.

The self-perception of women as the weaker sex, coupled with the Church teaching of the same in a traditional setting, with similar values creates a vicious cycle of women disempowerment.

Women in decision making

Provincial Assembly agreed in 2007 to have women as 30% of Assembly representatives. Women sit at all levels of the Church, including the highest levels of decision-making bodies.

Ordination of women

Deacons: none at the moment
Priests: women have been ordained as priests

Bishops

Women are ordained. Some have been canonised

Activities related to the MDGs and Beijing Platform of Action

Uganda Joint Christian Council, Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, Mothers' Union, Provincial Departments, Centre for Domestic Violence Prevention, Human Rights Network-Uganda, UNICEF, Government of Uganda

Women's organizations

Church: Women's desk, Mothers' Union, Women's Executive Council
Ecumenical: Uganda Joint Christian Council, Inter-Religious Council of Uganda

The Episcopal Church in the USA

Women's issues and concerns

The Executive Council Committee on the Status of Women identified the following focus areas for the 2007-2009 triennium, divided between national/international concerns and internal church structure issues.
National/international areas include:

• Human trafficking, an increasing global crisis
• Girl-child and women's education and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
• United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) and Beijing Circles
• Sex education
• Immigration issues and concerns

Church structure areas include:

• Respond to the Windsor Report discussion as it impacts women
• Explore partnerships with groups such as Episcopal Relief and Development, Anglican Women's Empowerment (AWE) Beijing Circles, International Anglican Women's Network (IAWN)
• Examine deployment issues as they relate to women in the Episcopal clergy system
• Support bishops who are women at Lambeth Conference
• Respond to Lambeth Conference issues
• Study statistics and demographics relating to gender equality for women in the Episcopal Church (GC 2006 Resolution D024 and Resolution ACC13-31)
• Follow up on Imagine Conference (the first conference directed at priests who are women which met at Kanuga, N.C., fall, 2006)

Women in decision making

Women are present but not equally represented on decision-making bodies.
The Executive Council Committee on the Status of the Women is doing a survey of dioceses to ascertain the portion of women in major decision-making bodies and positions of the dioceses, and of the committees and commissions reporting to General Convention, which will be included in the report to the next General Convention in 2009.
Ordination of women
Deacons: First ordained in 1972
Priests: First ordained in1976. 2,260 active Priests
Bishops: First ordained in 1986. 15 Bishops and one Presiding Bishop (Primate)
The Executive Council Committee on the Status of Women, working with the Church Pension Group, is seeking to get better statistics on the positions and career paths of women clergy vis-à-vis men.

Activities related to the MDGs and Beijing Platform for Action

The General Convention of 2007 set the MDGs as a priority work for the whole church. There is work on every front for the MDGs. Many dioceses have set aside the 0.7 % of their budget for development.
Women's Ministries supports the Beijing Circles which promotes action on the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA).

Women's organizations

(Italics = organisations that work on MDGs but not specifically women)
Church: Women's Ministries is the Office at the Episcopal Church Center that supports women in the Episcopal Church and the wider world.  This office works collaboratively with women's organizations in the Church, other program and ministry groups at the Episcopal Church Center, global and local networks working for gender justice, as well as individual women within and outside of traditional church structures. For more information see: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/women .
Women's organisations include:

• Anglican Women's Empowerment - http://www.episcopalchurch.org/uncsw.htm
• Church Periodical Club - www.churchperiodical.com
• Executive Council Committee on the Status of Women (reports through the Executive Council to General Convention)
• Daughters of the King - http://www.dok-national.org/
• Episcopal Asiamerica Women's Convocation
• Episcopal Church Women - http://www.nationalecw.org/
• Episcopal Women's Caucus - http://www.episcopalwomenscaucus.org/
• Episcopal Women's History Project - http://www.ewhp.org
• Girls Friendly Society - www.gfsusa.org
• National Altar Guild Association - www.episcopalchurch.org/altarguild
• United Thank Offering - www.episcopalchurch.org/uto

Many organizations are involved with promoting the Millennium Development Goals and Beijing Platform for Action, including: Compass Rose; Episcopalian Peace Fellowship, Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation, Episcopal Relief and Development.

The Church in Wales

The Church of the Province of West Africa

The Church in the Province of the West Indies

The Church of Ceylon (E-P to the Archbishop of Canterbury)

Iglesia Episcopal de Cuba

Bermuda (Extra-Provincial to Canterbury)

The Lusitanian Church (E-P to the Archbishop of Canterbury)

The Reformed Episcopal Church of Spain (E-P to the Archbishop of Canterbury)

Falkland Islands (Extra-Provincial to Canterbury)

 

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Published in association with the International Anglican Women's Network © 2008 Anglican Communion Office