TY - JOUR
T1 - ‘For this I was made’
T2 - conflict and calling in the role of a woman priest
AU - Madden, Adrian
AU - Bailey, Catherine
AU - Kerr, Reverend Canon Jean
PY - 2015/10/1
Y1 - 2015/10/1
N2 - There has been an increasing focus on ‘work as calling’ in recent years, but relatively few empirical sociological accounts that shed light on the experience of performing calling work. Although callings have generally been referred to as positive and fulfilling to the individual and as beneficial to society, researchers have also suggested there is a ‘dark side’ to calling, and have drawn attention to the potential conflicts and tensions inherent in the pursuit of calling, especially for women. This article explores these themes through the first-hand experiences of one woman who felt called to work as a priest. Her narrative illustrates how callings draw the individual irresistibly towards a particular line of work. It also shows how calling work can be both satisfying individually and beneficial to the wider community but, at the same time, involves sacrifice, compromise and a willingness to defer personal rewards.
AB - There has been an increasing focus on ‘work as calling’ in recent years, but relatively few empirical sociological accounts that shed light on the experience of performing calling work. Although callings have generally been referred to as positive and fulfilling to the individual and as beneficial to society, researchers have also suggested there is a ‘dark side’ to calling, and have drawn attention to the potential conflicts and tensions inherent in the pursuit of calling, especially for women. This article explores these themes through the first-hand experiences of one woman who felt called to work as a priest. Her narrative illustrates how callings draw the individual irresistibly towards a particular line of work. It also shows how calling work can be both satisfying individually and beneficial to the wider community but, at the same time, involves sacrifice, compromise and a willingness to defer personal rewards.
KW - Conflicts in women’s callings
KW - Religious work
KW - Vocation
KW - Women priests
KW - Women’s callings
KW - Work intensity of callings
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84960397268&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0950017014559962
DO - 10.1177/0950017014559962
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84960397268
VL - 29
SP - 866
EP - 874
JO - Work, Employment and Society
JF - Work, Employment and Society
SN - 0950-0170
IS - 5
ER -