ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the development of the British Christian women's movement of the 1970s and 1980s, locating the movement within its wider context of post-1960s cultural change in society and the British Christian churches. 1978 was a significant year in the Anglican campaign for the ordination of women, in anticipation of the November debate on the issue in the Church of England Synod, for the first time in over three years. Christian Women's Information and Resources (CWIRES) was fulfilling its intended role of collecting and distributing resources generated by and useful within, its various member groups. The Second Vatican Council, of 1962–1965, marked a significant fourfold shift within the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. The World Council of Churches Community of Women and Men in the Church (WCC CWMC) programme is the second post-1960 current within the churches where emerged a focus on the position of women.
