Last month Libby Lane was appointed the first female bishop of the Church of England. It was a long time coming.
Since 1861 women have been deaconesses in the Church of England but no women became full deacons until 1987. During the First World War women were appointed as lay readers and even led missions and churches, but that practice stopped after the war and was only started again in 1969. The first women priests were ordained in 1994, twenty years ago. In 2010 more women were ordained than men. The wider Anglican Church has ordained bishops for several decades, but the Church of England has held fast against promoting women until just recently. Although there was some dissent, the vote in favor was significant at all levels, including in Parliament.
