Professor Chang can be reached at (219) 631-7419 or by e-mail at chang.23@nd.edu . To order a copy of the book, contact Westminister John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202.
p. p. The experiences of clergywomen in Protestant denominations are examined in a new book coauthored by Patricia Mei Yin Chang, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Notre Dame.p. In “Clergy Women: An Uphill Calling” (Westminister John Knox Press), Chang and colleagues Barbara Brown Zikmund and Adair T. Lummis explore the callings and careers of the thousands of ordained women in Protestant churches in the United States. Their findings are based upon almost 5,000 surveys among 16 denominations ? the largest study ever of clergywomen in America ? and include analysis of employment prospects, income and satisfaction. Among their conclusions, the authors found that women clergy have greater difficulty finding employment, are more likely to hold part-time positions, and earn 9 percent less in salary than clergymen in the same denomination with similar experience and qualifications. Based upon an analysis of early career options and decisions, the authors also found that clergywomen are likely to experience very different career paths than clergymen. Despite the difficulties and continuing discrimination, the authors conclude that Protestant clergywomen demonstrate a strong sense of calling and continue to expand the definitions of ministry.p. Chang has been a member of the Notre Dame faculty since January 1997 after previously serving as a researcher in the University’s Institute for Church Life. Her teaching and research interests include the sociology of religion, organizational theory and research, social theory, and gender, occupations and careers. She recently was appointed to a three-year term as associate editor of the journal Sociology of Religion, and she serves as a manuscript and book reviewer for several other journals in the fields of sociology, religion and human resources. Chang earned master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology from Stanford University in 1987 and 1993, respectively, after having received her bachelor’s degree in mass communications from the University of California at Berkeley in 1982. She was a postdoctoral research associate at Hartford Seminary and a research fellow at Yale University from 1993-95. She also served from 1993-96 as a research associate for an Eli Lilly Foundation project on United Methodism and American culture.p. Chang’s coauthors are on the faculty of Hartford Seminary. Brown is president of the institution and Lummis is a faculty associate.
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