Discourse on Women in the Clerical Profession: The Diaconate and Language-Games in the Church of England

Abstract

In 1986, the Church of England permitted women to enter the lowest rank of the clerical profession, the diaconate, while reserving to men the offices of priest and bishop. For male clergy, the period served as a deacon is normally a one-year probation before ordination to the priesthood, whereas for women it is a terminus. This limited incorporation of women into the clerical profession has been accompanied by a prolific discourse on the need for an enriched diaconate. Although the focus of debate is ostensibly the diaconate, the discourse is a power struggle over the ordination of women to the priesthood. For those who oppose women's entry into the priesthood, the discourse of enriched distinctive diaconate legitimizes women's subordinate and marginal position in the clerical profession. For women deacons, on the other hand, in so far as the metaphor of diakonia has salience it is typically mobilized in a critique of authoritarianism amongst the male clergy. Evidence gathered from women serving as deacons shows that the great majority find the diaconate frustrating, support the ordination of women priests and have themselves felt a calling to priesthood. Drawing on Wittgenstein's concept of language-games embedded in forms of life, an analysis is presented of the grounding of this gendered discourse in the occupational culture of the clerical profession.