Female priests in the Church of England, flourishing and diminishment: how has the experience of the first generation of ‘normally’ ordained female priests been formed by the institutional culture of the Church of England?

Schofield, Sarah (2023). Female priests in the Church of England, flourishing and diminishment: how has the experience of the first generation of ‘normally’ ordained female priests been formed by the institutional culture of the Church of England? University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis considers what are the experiences of women ordained in the Church of England and if these are dissonant with the claims of the Church to treat male and female priests equally. It demonstrates the impact of institutional culture on the lives of a sample of thirteen ordained women and discerns conclusions relevant to the Church and institutions with similar stresses between stated aims concerning equality and the grounded reality of their members.

Uniquely amongst research into Church of England clergywomen this small scale project used Asynchronous Electronic Interviews to gather extensive, deeply reflective, qualitative data. The interviews were preceded by a review of institutional documents relating to the historical roots of women’s ordination. The documents and interview data were analysed using interpretative methods grounded in a feminist perspective.

Analysis of institutional documents revealed a focus on scarce resource as a motivator for change. Interview data exposed a deeply rooted sense of vocation lived out within a demanding institutional culture. The discussion drew on Lewis Coser (1974) and Sarah Ahmed's (2010-2017) work to demonstrate that the Church of England has created a culture of conviviality that blocks women's full participation and discriminates between women and men's behaviour. The thesis shows how the Church of England has adapted to create new blockages to women’s participation through a culture of conviviality.

Of relevance beyond the Church AEI is shown as able to make the practice of research more accessible for both the researched and the researcher. Additional layers are added to Coser’s Greedy Institutions model, both the controlling power of false hope in flexible working arrangements and the conferment of honorary awards. These conclusions, as well as those relating to the tone of unspoken norms, are relevant to other Greedy Institutions such as the Armed Forces, Higher Education and Trade Unions. Ahmed’s theory that a conceptual institutional norm can undermine concrete commitments to equality is confirmed. Conviviality is proposed as an alternative norm to Ahmed’s ‘joy’ for the specific context of the Church. In conclusion the thesis suggests that identifying the nature of unspoken norms and which members of an institution benefit most from those norms is part of the process of undermining the hold of a Greedy Institution on the most burdened.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):