Women Advance in Diocesan Jobs
Women held 46.6% of the professional-level staff positions in Catholic dioceses in 1998, up from 44.5% in 1995, according to a survey.
That figure is comparable to percentages for the overall job market. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says women filled 44.4% of executive, administrative and managerial positions as of 1998.
The survey, commissioned by the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Women in Society and the Church, found that women held 26% of top-rank positions, mostly department heads reporting directly to a bishop. Although the Catholic Church does not ordain women, the committee has urged dioceses to consider appointing more women to the church staff leadership.
Larger dioceses, of 350,000 members or more, consistently employed fewer women executives than smaller dioceses, the report said.
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