UUA General Assembly - June 24, 1998
"The Impact of Women on the Unitarian Universalist Ministry"

Presentation by Rev. Helen Lutton Cohen, Senior Minister of First Parish Church, Lexington, Mass.

GA logo The Rev. Helen Lutton Cohen, senior minister of First Parish Church, Lexington, MA, offered a presentation on the impact of women in ministry for the UU Minister's Association C.E.N.T.E.R. day, on June 24, 1998 at the Hyatt Hotel in Rochester, NY.

Cohen surveyed all 1373 ministers currently in Fellowship with the UUA; she 565 responses: 288 from women; 276 from men, 1 from a transgender individual. Cohen noted that there was a huge overlap of male and female thought with very little difference in male/female responses. She observed, "The numbers were so close that they were statistically non-different."

Statistics

Rev. Cohen found the following statistics about U.S. ministers of all denominations:

Among the clergy ministers, she found:

She presented these current statistics:

The gender balance in the Unitarian Universalist ministry, female to male, has shifted enormously: in 1957, 9 out of 538 ministers were female; in 1978, 57 out of 916 were female. By 1988, a significant shift had been seen: 276 out of 1108 ministers were women. Currently, 49% of all ministers are women: there are 1035 ministers in active service; 531 are males, 504 females. Rev. Helen Cohen

Regarding theological direction, Cohen's survey found the results shown in the accompanying table, divided by female (f) and male (m). Multiple selections were permitted.

In younger ministers, (ages 25-40), there was a shift away from Humanism toward other theological directions, a trend also demonstrated in the recent results of the "Fulfilling the Promise" survey which will be shared later in the General Assembly.

Cohen quoted the 19th century feminist transcendentalist Margaret Fuller, who said "A new manifestation is at hand, a new hour is come. When man and women may regard one another as brother and sister, [they will be] able to prophecy to one another....We would have arbitrary barriers thrown down, we would have every path laid open as freely to woman as to man..."

Women, according to Cohen, have brought "relationships, community, nurturing, professional ethics, storytelling, inclusive language, and the effect of "humanizing us." On the negative side, Cohen said people noted the "loss of moral authority, turning ministers into caretakers, complicating attitudes about authority, and a disastrous effect on salaries."

Survey Findings

Theological Direction (multiple selections were permitted)
Women Men
Humanist 146 155
Theist 130 96
Christian 57 75
Pagan 48 28
Panentheist* 32 15
Naturalist 93 101
Pantheist 69 66
Buddhist 40 40
Agnostic 51 62
Atheist 6 28
(Note: Panentheism means a belief in God in everything AND beyond nature.)

Theological Direction by Age (multiple selections were permitted)
Theist Humanist Atheist Total #
25-40 38 29 1 58
41-50 67 72 8 149
51-60 59 91 11 158
61-70 40 62 6 118
71+ 20 48 7 77

Prevalent Styles of Ministry (extract)
Women Men
Pastoral 110 97
Empowering 131 83
Facilitating 76 74
Teaching 73 96
Inspirational 75 82
Prophetic 47 53

Sources of Authority
Women Men
Congregation 219 196
Yourself 205 166
God/Goddess 144 97
Human community 133 104
Earth 44 35

Whether Women Ministers Have Had A Significant Impact On The Nature Of Ministry And On Congregational Life In Recent Decades
Women Men
Yes 245 237
No 6 6

(Reported by Debbie Weiner, formatted for the Web by Margy Levine Young)
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