The Church of England remains deeply divided over the ordination of women. The present study charts the debate from the early 1990s and reanalyses centrally collected statistics to identify how the 42 mainland dioceses have responded so differently to the opportunity to ordain women to the priesthood. Then the rate of growth or decline in terms of membership statistics within the dioceses is assessed against their attitude toward the ordination of women. The data demonstrate that dioceses which have apparntly encouraged the ordination of women have overall experienced neither greater nor lesser decline in terms of membership statistics than dioceses which have apparently discouraged the ordination of women.
