The Church of England could restrict the powers of some women bishops under a plan designed to end a rift between traditionalists who want to keep the all-male senior clergy and liberals demanding equality.  The proposal has reignited the long-running debate over a supposed ecclesiastical "stained-glass ceiling" that stops women from attaining the most senior roles in the church.

The Church of England body reviewing the law on women bishops, the Revision Committee, has voted to change the rules to remove certain powers from female bishops in dioceses where they face opposition from traditionalists. Specially-appointed male bishops would assume those powers and the new system would be written into British law, the committee said in a statement.

(Photo: Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of the U.S. Episcopal Church, 4 Nov 2006/Jonathan Ernst)

While Anglicans in the United States, Canada and Australia already have women bishops, conservatives in many other parts of the Communion strongly oppose them. They say there is nothing in the Bible or church history to support women bishops. Liberals, who argue that women should be treated equally, said the latest proposals to allow women bishops, albeit with reduced powers in some areas, risked creating a two-tier church.

"Where there are parishes who don't recognize women bishops and want to look to another bishop, that diocesan bishop's duties and responsibilities to those parishes would be reduced automatically," a Church of England spokesman said. "Those duties would pass to this other bishop."

Read the whole story here.

Church of England statement "Revision Committee on Women in the Episcopate"

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The following is a guest contribution. Reuters is not responsible for the content and the views expressed are the author’s alone. Sughra Ahmed is a Research Fellow at the Policy Research Centre, which is based at the Islamic Foundation in Leicestershire and specialises in research, policy advice and training on issues related to British Muslims.

By Sughra Ahmed

It may seem well and good to think children should be seen and not heard - there's nothing wrong with a touch of Victorian, especially true during a good movie! But what if the censored are not young children at all? What if they are flashpoints in our conversations on not so trivial subjects, you know, things like national security, integration and democracy. And what if, instead of listening, we systematically speak on their behalf, saying what they are thinking and how they fit into the whole social and political spectrum.

(Photo: Woman at "Muslims Against Terrorism" rally in London, 11 Sept 2007/Toby Melville)

Enter young British Muslims, but please sit down over there in one group, and mind you don't speak - we have interpreters for that: a choice of representative institutions, community spokespersons, experts on what young people think, and media sound bytes. Yes, much is said and written about young Muslims, not only in black ink but leapfrogging from blog to blog and showing no signs of tiring. Rarely though, is it the young voices themselves. Commentators of many persuasions seem keen to tell us how and what a silent majority from British Muslims think. If it's not the majority then certainly a large proportion .

Let's take a look at the basics: nearly half of British Muslims are under 25 and overwhelmingly British born, about a third are 16 or under. Half are women (I feel a need to state the obvious) and most are not in northern former mill towns (less than 5% of British Muslims actually live in ‘popular imagination' Bradford).

We are used to hearing about young Muslims in the context of radicalisation of Muslim opinion, but their lives are far more complex. There is an untold story of intergenerational challenges, the role of community leadership and its short comings as well as alienation from institutions of wider society. But the picture is not all bad - young people feel a strong sense of national pride and really want to do things to make their lives better.

These were some of the considerations surrounding my report released today called Seen and Not Heard: Voices of Young British Muslims, published by the Policy Research Centre. Here's the Reuters news story on it -- "Young British Muslims angry with police and media." Interestingly 45% of the young people I spoke with were female; hearing their thoughts, feelings and aspirations was enlightening. Young women are often sidelined from mainstream debates both within Muslim organisations and wider British society. Hearing their audible views and concerns alongside and with their male counterparts reflects the invaluable contribution they have to make - they had a lot on their minds.

The voices of young British Muslims - and especially those of women - are increasingly valuable when we speak of intergenerational challenges within Muslim communities. These are exacerbated by the different cultural environments and influences in which generations have grown up. Some young Muslims, from both sexes, tend to face two different worlds in their lives - one inside and one outside the home - as a way to negotiate the intergenerational gap that evidently is due to a communication divide on the basis of language, but also ideas of modern life and ways as well as cultural taboos.

Young Muslims often see such taboos in terms of what they can or cannot speak to their parents about, how concepts such as respecting your elders is a key influence in how they engage with older people and interestingly the way they operate in their social circles outside the home. These  illustrate some of the difficult challenges young British Muslim are negotiating on a daily basis. These challenges are even greater for young women as the traditional norms restrain them from making choices for themselves and their own lives in relation to education, social activities and who they spend time with.

Then we have the role of religion in their lives. Young British Muslims often feel perturbed at suggestions of friction or even conflict between their religion and their national identity. Instead, young people argue there is a sense of synergy between their faith and their British (or in some cases Scottish and Welsh) identities. The role of faith for many young people is a peripheral aspect of who they are. Over time, as they grow into ‘older young people' it becomes an aspect some focus on more, all the while in the context of growing up as young Brits.

(Photo: Central mosque in Birmingham, 31 Jan 2007/Darren Staples)

If we are to make effective social connections, we need to invest in young people and their development, for example through the creation of more mentoring schemes, development of leadership and work to facilitate role models. Voluntary sector organisations can reach a sizeable number of young women. Whilst the space they provide and mix of projects they run is admirable, they would benefit from specialised youth skills training and long-term investment to let young people speak for themselves. Surely it is the voice of young British Muslims that will enable the rest of us to better engage the very audience we seek to understand - let them tell us with their own voices and let us listen!

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- During Dany Cotton's 20 years with the London Fire Brigade she has risen through the ranks to become a Deputy Assistant Commissioner, and is the highest ranking operational woman firefighter in the UK. She was also the first woman firefighter in Britain to be awarded the Queen's Fire Service Medal. The opinions expressed are her own. -

International Women's Day on March 8, is significant for me as it's a reminder how far women have come in all industries, but particularly my own.

The term "fireman" is no longer in use within the fire service, but is still part of everyday language, used as a generic term for people who fight fires. I'm proof that women can succeed in the fire service though, and I'm certainly not alone. More women are joining in operational front line roles - as firefighters - and making a real impact.

People sometimes say, "Why does it matter if firefighters are male or female? If my house is on fire, I don't care who rescues me." This is true of course - it really doesn't matter - and all of London's firefighters are highly trained and ready to respond to emergencies.

However, the role of the fire service is changing, and it's no longer simply about attending emergencies. In fact, the work we do now isn't just complemented by a diverse workforce, it demands one.

It's no coincidence that fires, and fire deaths, are decreasing. Today's fire and rescue service is very much about prevention rather than cure, with firefighters visiting vulnerable people in their homes, attending schools and working with businesses to ensure their premises are safe.

Making links with our community - talking to people on their level - means that people with different perspectives, life experiences, language skills and cultural knowledge are becoming increasingly valuable. Of course, as firefighters we all need to meet physical standards, but this job is not just about climbing ladders. We would prefer to save someone's life by providing information or fitting a smoke alarm than by pulling them out of a burning building.

I joined the fire service 20 years ago, and in that time there have been major improvements for women. On my first day of training I did have doubts. It was hard both physically and mentally but I really enjoyed it. When I joined there were very few women in the service and some people were quite wary and suspicious of us, so that was a real challenge. Things have improved greatly since though, both in terms of the attitudes to women and the facilities for women on fire stations.

Now there's nothing unusual about a woman arriving at London Fire Brigade's training centre, and as an organisation we are committed to increasing the amount of women we see coming into the fire service. The Government has asked the UK's fire and rescue service to aim at a target of 15 per cent of trainees joining the Brigade by 2013, being women. Though this is a challenge, it's one we will work hard to meet as the benefits of a diverse workforce make sound business sense.

It's all about reaching people who wouldn't have considered the fire service as a career and asking them to think about it. As more women join, more will sit up and take notice. I didn't sign up to be a trailblazer for others, but if I inspire people to follow in my footsteps then that can only be a good thing.

London is now home to well over 200 women firefighters and many became aware of the career at our open days where women can try out the kit we use, take some of the physical tests that they would be expected to pass, and speak to serving women firefighters about their experiences.

My personal experiences are very positive. As a Deputy Assistant Commissioner much of my role these days is managerial, but I'll never forget my most rewarding experiences as a front line firefighter, such as saving a young couple from a fire in South London. There have been traumatic times too, like attending the Clapham rail crash in the 80s, but there have also been a lot of laughs. These experiences would have been the same regardless of my gender. As a woman, and as a firefighter, it's been a great career.

So, this International Woman's Day is a great opportunity to remember that the fire service has changed, and is still changing for the better. Women are not a novelty any more and are joining, and crucially, progressing on merit into more senior operational roles. There is still plenty more to do, but looking back 20 years, or even 10 years, London Fire Brigade is a different place. The culture has changed and is still changing.

A major survey has found that women are more responsible with money than men. They’re less likely to get into debt and they work hard to become financially independent.

The global Reuters Synovate survey polled some 4,500 women in 12 countries about money matters. An equal number of men were also asked several questions related to finances.

It’s true enough that the rogues’ gallery of bankers now being pilloried in the media for personal greed and financial failure is almost exclusively male.

But who melts all the plastic in the High Street? Surely Sophie Kinsella’s book “Confessions of a Shopaholic” was such a success because it struck a chord with so many women.

Do you think women are more intelligent than men when it comes to money matters?

Women should be considered for new board positions in banks bailed out by the government, to counter the male dominance of senior directorships at the biggest companies, the Cranfield School of Management has recommended.

It points to the fact that the number of female directors in FTSE 100 firms has barely risen over the past 10 years, with more than a fifth still run by all-male boards.

Do you think it has a point? Or is it a bad idea to set quotas and targets in this way?

Fewer women than last year are reaching the top in their chosen professions, an annual survey has found.

Progress on equality is moving at a snail’s pace, the Equality and Human Rights Commission says, blaming Britain’s long-hours culture and inflexible working pactices.

At this rate it will take women 55 years to reach parity with men at senior levels in the judiciary and 73 years to draw level in the number of FTSE 100 company directors, the commission predicts.

Do you have any experience of the glass ceiling and do you agree that women’s progress at senior levels in the workplace is stalling? If so, what is needed to turn things around?

Should women be allowed to fight on the frontline? Is it time for complete equality in the armed forces? Is society ready for the idea of female soldiers routinely fighting and dying in combat?

The death of Sergeant Sarah Bryant, the first female British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan, has reignited the long-running debate over women’s role in modern warfare.

The existing rules that exclude women from situations where the primary duty is “to close with and kill the enemy” are irrelevant in Afghanistan and Iraq where there is no single front line, according to some commentators.

Instead, British forces are engaged in a “360-degree war” where all soldiers, male or female, could be in the line of fire at any time, Catherine Philp wrote in the Times.

“In times gone by, rules like these kept women far behind the men,” she writes. “In the heat of the Iraq insurgency, however, all that began to change. In reality, the rules are already stretched to breaking point.”

The old arguments that women are not physically capable to fight or might disrupt “unit cohesiveness” no longer hold water, she added.

The Ministry of Defence says there are now about 18,000 women in the armed forces, just under 10 percent of the total. The Sex Discrimination Act (1975) allows the armed forces to exclude women from some posts.

That’s the right approach, according to one contributor to an online military forum.

“I’ve yet to see a woman who could withstand the mental and physical pressure of infantry work,” he wrote.

Not so, said Jo Salter, the RAF’s first female fighter pilot. She said society’s attitudes have changed over the years and the sex of a soldier is no longer the issue it once was.

“It’s always so sad when there’s any death at all. Gender isn’t the issue,” she told the Daily Telegraph.

That view was echoed by the parents of Flight Lieutenant Sarah-Jayne Mulvihill, who died in Iraq in 2006.

“Sarah did not distinguish between herself and the boys she served with,” her father Terry told the Daily Mirror. His wife Sue added: “There were four others with her and their families’ grief is equal.”

A quick look at the front pages after Bryant’s death suggests newspaper editors may not see it that way.

Pictures of Sgt Bryant in her wedding dress were splashed across several front pages under headlines such as “Our Afghan Heroine”. Most ran long stories on inside pages about her life and career in the army. The deaths of male soldiers typically receive far less coverage. There were few details of the three male colleagues killed with her.

Whether the media coverage of Bryant’s death reflects the wider views of society is hard to tell.

The last word goes to an unnamed military source who told the Herald newspaper: “Every man - and woman - is born equal under the 7.62mm gun law”.

Whatever happened to “girl power”? The phrase became a cultural phenomenon after the formation of the Spice Girls pop band in 1994, and was adopted as the mantra for millions of girls, even making it into the Oxford English Dictionary.

But, it seems that many fans — now grown women — are relinquishing this ideology in favour of that portrayed in a later cult classic: Sex and the City. Today’s generation of single women are relying on finding their “Mr Big” to fund their future and are investing a significant amount of time, effort and money in pursuit of the Carrie dream, a survey shows.

Almost one million women have set their sights on a knight on a white horse, banking on finding a rich man to take care of them, according to the “fashionistas not cashonistas” report from Friends Provident. Just 23 percent of the single women it polled have a pension and 20 percent have life or health insurance, yet just over a quarter own more than 30 pairs of shoes. Many are investing in their appearance to help them net an eligible man, too, the survey of 1,458 women aged between 25 and 45 found: 36 percent spend more than 50 pounds per month on clothes and accessories and 24 percent spend more than 200 pounds per year on beauty treatments.

And, it seems that money — not love — is the motivating factor in many relationships. Almost a third of Britons state they are reliant on their partner or spouse for financial security — but not all these relationships are based on love, according to another recent survey. Over 955,000 Britons would leave their partner if financially independent, according to Kaupthing Edge, the online retail financial services arm of Iceland’s largest bank.

It might be a sad fact of life that many women — like their counterparts in years gone by — still marry for money. But, for those women trying to stand on their own two feet there are still huge inequalities, particularly when it comes to pensions.

Figures from HSBC show the picture of retirement savings among women has improved greatly: in 2005, when it started tracking consumer attitudes to pension planning, just over a third of women surveyed aged 18 to 60 were contributing to a pension. Three years on, over half of women questioned are now paying into a pension.

But there is still a serious issue that lies largely outside women’s control. They still have far more erratic working patterns than men, taking time out from employment to raise children, for example. That means that, currently, only 35 percent of women retire on the full basic state pension, according to the Department for Work and Pensions’ gender impact assessment of pension reform, published last December.

The introduction of “personal accounts” into which workers will be automatically enrolled — the government’s solution to the looming pensions crisis — aims to increase that to two-thirds. Still, far more needs to be done to level the playing field. “It seems as if pensions were built by men for men and assume that everyone has a full basic state pension, which does not help women,” said Steve Bee, head of pensions strategy at Scottish Life in a recent podcast. “The government is making a mistake by assuming that women’s lives and work patterns are becoming more like men’s and that, therefore, they suit pension products designed for men.”

He called on ministers to allow women to buy back “missing years” of national insurance contributions to help them achieve a full basic state pension and put in place “proper advice structures” to help them on the road to a rosier retirement. Perhaps small steps, such as these, would herald the beginning of a new era of financial “girl power”.