'Leave it to the Women' The Exclusion of Women from Anglican Church Government in Australia

Australian Anglican debates about women in the church have a long history characterised by exclusion. Anglicans tried to extend political rights to women at the same pace as wider society and shared many aims with feminism, but were hampered by complex laws. Opponents delayed change by arguing that the presence of women on synods and vestries was a threat to masculinity and would lead to men abdicating their financial and spiritual responsibilities. This argument raised the far more challenging prospect of female priests and bishops.