A tenth of the Church of England's clergy are women, according to a survey carried out by the National Association of Diocesan Advisers in women's Ministry. Nearly 400 women are in charge of parishes.

The survey is the first national survey of the situation since women were ordained priests in March 1994. By the end of July 1996 there were 1,957 women in licensed ministry in the 43 dioceses. Almost half of them are paid a full stipend. Most are middle-aged, with relatively few below 40 or over 60 years old.

More than 200 of these women are in "sector" ministries, working as chaplains in hospitals, prisons, universities, colleges and in industry. Six out of ten are married, 306 of them to clergymen.

The diocese with the largest number of women is Oxford with 101 followed by Southwark and St Albans. The Bishop of Ely, whose diocese has the highest population of women in charge of parishes, writes: "I am happy to bear testimony to the warmth of the welcome given by many different types of parishes to the ministry of women priests. It is very encouraging to note that in such a short time, there are so many ordained women serving the Church of God and in relatively significant posts. As anticipated, there is a marked enrichment of the life of the Church of England through these developments at every level. I do not ignore continuing conflict, of course, but we pray for one another and seek to know and do God's will.'