A survey found that most of the women serving in the pastoral ministry of the Presbyterian Church (PC) USA experience gender-based discrimination.
According to The Christian Post, a study conducted by PCUSA Research Services found that more than half of women ministers are being discriminated. 37% of the respondents shared that they experience discrimination or harassment mainly due to their gender (24.8%), followed by age (18.8%), other factors (7%), race (4.3%), sexual orientation (2.5%) and disability (1.4%).
The research was conducted in 2019 with 4,495 participants or 23% of the denomination's 19,243 ministers. In the survey, 63% of the women said that they experience any form of discrimination or harassment but 58% reported that they encounter such because of gender. Only 21% of men disclosed of being discriminated, which is largely caused by their age (11.5%) and other factors (7.1%).
Younger ministers are also prone to discrimination rather than their older counterparts, saying that they are having difficulty being accepted as leaders and people of authorities inside the church due to their age. Women in all age groups suffer more discrimination than men.
Among the ministers under 40 years old, 54.1% of women reported being harassed or discriminated while only 18.2% of men experience the same. The rate of discrimination decreases as pastors' age mature. However, men in the 60-64 bracket experience more discrimination, with 13.2%, rather than those in the 50-59 age group (9.7%).
Racial discrimination is most common with Black ministers (46.7%), followed by Hispanics (35.1%), Asians (22.9%), other races (21%) and only 1.9% for White pastors. In this category, women experience more race or ethnic-based discrimination than men. Among the Asians, 70% of women experience such while only 12% of men encounter the same. Female ministers who belong to the Black, Hispanic and other races are also more likely to get discriminated than their male counterparts. But in the White sector, men experience more discrimination with 2.5% and only 1.1% in women.
However, Dr. Sean Payne and Dr. Susan Barnett observed that the rate of discrimination is low on the basis of disability and sexual orientation.
"In a positive sign, reports of discrimination based on an individual's disability or sexual orientation were low. Only 12% of respondents who self-identified as living with a disability reported discrimination or harassment based on their disability. Only 2.5% of all respondents reported discrimination or harassment based on sexual orientation," they said.
Ministers were also asked if they struggled with some aspect of leadership but only less than 10% of the respondents said that they did "a great deal," wherein having a low salary is the main reason with 9.5%. The findings also showed that women are two to three times more likely to struggle than men in this aspect.
The researchers emphasized that the study will help determine the necessary responses in addressing discrimination being experienced by the ministers and their struggle in leadership.
"The survey marks a good beginning in understanding the discrimination, opportunity and struggles of leadership experienced by PC(USA) ministers and points to needed work to deepen that understanding and to address those dynamics of discrimination and struggle that have been identified," Payne and Barnett stated.
