Petition · Ministry of Justice
Amend equality law to ban religions from barring women from leadership roles
Open for signatures
46 signatures
What the petition asks
The Equality Act 2010 still contains exemptions that can permit sex-based restrictions in some appointments for the purposes of an organised religion. We ask Parliament to amend the law so that no religion operating in the UK may bar women from clerical or leadership roles.
We believe Dame Sarah Mullally’s enthronement as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury shows that female religious leadership is both possible and legitimate. Religious freedom should not extend to institutional sex discrimination. We believe that no organisation operating in the UK should be permitted to exclude women from leadership by rule, custom or doctrine.
Timeline
| 28 Apr 2026 | Petition opened for signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
46
Status
Open for signatures
Department
Ministry of Justice
Opened
28 Apr 2026
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 26 Jul 2026.