Are There Any Women Here?

No women here.

Someone once asked me what I thought about women in the Church.  I said I wasn't sure and I would ask my wife...


Today I was doing a bit of pastoral visiting, and on both occasions, their wives were not present.  As a result, the conversations had a more male tone.  Cars, engines, sport, work.  Male sorts of topics.  But then because we had been able to exchange pleasantries with a male theme, the conversations were permitted to get a bit more serious.  Health concerns and the like.

Men don't like talking about their "bits" at the best of times, especially not when there are women present.  (And I know the same is true that women don't talk about their "bits" when men are around.)   And I think this is a big problem for men.  Women are more aware of their health, more likely to see a doctor if things are amiss, and more likely to detect cancers early as a result.  There's a lot of pink products raising funds for, and raising awareness of female cancers.


I'm not anti-women, but I think there's a need for men to be able to find their own space within a congregation.  I think it's needed for the good of our mental, spiritual and physical health.  For the men, we just get on with things ourselves.  It is very rare that men talk about health issues, and in my experience, it's never when there are women around.  If we are going to have that sort of discussion, where would we have it?  Should we have our own groups, perhaps a sort of Men's Guild -  a space where the men can gather and feel free to talk bollocks, or if health is a concern, even talk about bollocks.