I'm off to France for a couple of weeks so this blog won't be updated until I return. But do visit the community blog to see what's going there!

Jenny Baker

Our online survey as part of our consultation was open to both men and women. We asked the guys 'From your experience of working with women,
what advice would you give them as to how they can reach their full potential?'

And this is what some of them said:

• “Tricky - I feel it is more men in leadership I need to speak to! These thoughts apply to both sexes . . . 1. Work life balance, there may be a feeling in some contexts that you need to prove yourself or be more than a match for a man, youth ministry IS a marathon not a sprint. 2. Get a mentor, this is easier said than done - female role models who have gone before might be few and far between, however, they don't necessarily need to be in youth ministry, it is more important to meet up with a "wise old head" than no one. 3. Do what is "you" and trust what God has called you to, I am not a "wild at heart" man and I am sure there are lots of women who aren't waiting to be "captivated" - read John Eldgridge for the stereotype references . . . 4. In all things seek to love others and know that there are men striving for equality in ministry and leadership alongside you.”

• “Encouragement is important for both women and men, but one of the biggest issues facing female church youth workers is their own image of themselves... if they believe that God does not see them as equal, and that they are not as equiped for ministry then both they suffer and so do the young people, as there is no-one portraying a positive role model for young women.. in fact, they end up perpetuating the same cycle of oppression. Women need to know they are equal to men, and God values them just as much in all areas of ministry... lets move on from these past oppressive mis-conceptions... they no longer have a place.”

• “be themselves and don't try to be male and competitive”

• “Don't be intimidated by under achieving male youth workers, train them.”

• “Be confident. Don't accept the margainalization of themselves and the importance of their work by other people, especially those in positions of power.”

Yesterday General Synod voted to proceed with appointing women bishops with minimal accommodations for those clergy who are opposed to the move. Proposals for superbishops and separate structures for those who cannot accept women as bishops were rejected.

Following on from previous blog posts, there's a very interesting article in the Guardian by Angela Neustatter on why girls turn to violence and become gang members. She talks to both gang members and those who work with them. She says, 'It is important not to overemphasise girls' violence - but it does help to recognise that gender plays a large part in criminal identity, and

The Christian Apprentice is a three-day residential next October half-term for girls aged 14 and over to develop their leadership skills. Run by Sharon Prior, it's happening at The Shepherd's Buildings near Patingham, Wolverhampton and costs just £60 per person. Leaders are encouraged to attend with their girls to get the most out of the event, but girls can also go on their own. The event includes creative activities to increase girls' experience of leadership and teamwork, and they get individual feedback to help them develop their skills. Sharon ran this event last year and it was a huge success. There are just 16 places and it will be first come, first served, so if you are interested get in touch with Sharon: 01425 674112 or sharonprior1@btinternet.com. There are more details on our events page.

More excellent and thought-provoking stuff on the Sophia website this month:

• Jenni Catron writes a review of Beyond sex roles by Gilbert Bilezikian in our Books That Have Shaped Us series

• There’s an interview with Helen Tomblin, Birmgham DYO, about her comedy club, The Laughing Sole

• Sharon Prior gives us wisdom for whinging women – don’t just moan, do something about it!

• Michelle Pestridge finds inspiration in the story of Miriam and her ability to get a party started.

You can access the articles here, if you are a member; if you're not then do join us!

Harriet Harman's proposals for equality legislation that were unveiled last week were greeted with predictable over-reaction. A letter to London's Metro said, 'The new discrimination laws will make young, white, healthy, Christian males virtually unemployable.' Another more measured response claimed that 'Only a meritocracy engenders mutal respect and only organisations that recognise merit in a colour- and gender-blind fashion thrive.'

I love Wimbledon - not because I'm a tennis fan but because it's about the only point in the year when there's substantial coverage of women in sport. I often look through the sports section of the newspaper I get to see if there is any mention of any women - and usually there isn't. There must be so many women taking part in sport, professionally and for pleasure, and yet there is such a monopoly of media coverage of men playing sport, particularly football. Does this annoy anyone else, or is it just me?!

We get so used to splitting humanity into the categories of men and women for so many different reasons that it’s easy to overlook the fact that human behaviour is not dimorphic; there is huge diversity within genders. And so treating all men the same way just because they are men is bound to discriminate against some. Take young people and driving, for example. Insurance premiums are incredibly high for a young person who has just passed their test, and young men are typically paying twice as much as young women – up to £3,000 a year. There are good reasons behind that – overall young men have more accidents and make bigger claims. But that doesn’t mean that all young men are worse drivers than all young women. Good, careful male drivers are penalised because of the reckless behaviour of some of their peers – is that fair?

As Hillary Clinton stands down from her presidential campaign and urges her supporters to back Barack Obama, it's worth reflecting on what she's achieved, even though it wasn't the goal that she was aiming for. In her final speech on Saturday, she said that it will now be unremarkable to think that a woman can be president of the United States and that although she didn't break the glass ceiling, it now has 18 million cracks. Will it now be easier for other women to follow in her footsteps, or will she be regarded more like Margaret Thatcher - a woman who was somehow too masculine to make space for other women?

There's an interesting article in the Guardian about why there aren't more women in positions of leadership in the arts. Among the reasons offered is a lack of self-belief