Yesterday General Synod voted to proceed with appointing women bishops with minimal accommodations for those clergy who are opposed to the move. Proposals for superbishops and separate structures for those who cannot accept women as bishops were rejected.

The Christian Apprentice is a three-day residential next October half-term for girls aged 14 and over to develop their leadership skills. Run by Sharon Prior, it's happening at The Shepherd's Buildings near Patingham, Wolverhampton and costs just £60 per person. Leaders are encouraged to attend with their girls to get the most out of the event, but girls can also go on their own. The event includes creative activities to increase girls' experience of leadership and teamwork, and they get individual feedback to help them develop their skills. Sharon ran this event last year and it was a huge success. There are just 16 places and it will be first come, first served, so if you are interested get in touch with Sharon: 01425 674112 or sharonprior1@btinternet.com. There are more details on our events page.

As Hillary Clinton stands down from her presidential campaign and urges her supporters to back Barack Obama, it's worth reflecting on what she's achieved, even though it wasn't the goal that she was aiming for. In her final speech on Saturday, she said that it will now be unremarkable to think that a woman can be president of the United States and that although she didn't break the glass ceiling, it now has 18 million cracks. Will it now be easier for other women to follow in her footsteps, or will she be regarded more like Margaret Thatcher - a woman who was somehow too masculine to make space for other women?

There's an interesting article in the Guardian about why there aren't more women in positions of leadership in the arts. Among the reasons offered is a lack of self-belief

Interesting stories in the news this week:

The Fatherhood Institute has launched a 12-point action plan to stop fathers from being 'shut out' of the birth of their own children. It includes provision for fathers to be able to stay overnight on maternity wards following the birth of their children so that they have more chance to bond with their newborn babies. Read the rest on their website here.

The new Spanish cabinet under Zapatero has more women ministers than men for the first time, including a female defence minister who is seven months pregnant.

Carolyn McCall, chief executive of GMG, the publisher of the Guardian newspaper, has been named Veuve Clicquot business woman of the year 2008.

The award was created to commemorate Veuve Clicquot, the woman who inherited the champagne company which now bears her name. She was born Nicole Ponsardin and maried Francois Cicquot, becoming known as Veuve Clicquot after his death. When she was 27, she took over her husband's vineyards and invented a system for clarifying wine which is still used by champagne producers today.

This is the 35th year of the award which annually tells the story of five women who are high achievers in business. The award website explains: 'Their stories are an encouragement and inspiration to younger, aspiring women. It salutes the women of achievement -many of whom work quietly and without acclaim in the many different businesses and industries that contribute to the economic life of this country.'

More comments in the press today about women in leadership. Sir Alan reckons that employers should be able to ask women about their plans to have children and whether they have provision for childcare worked out. He says in The Times today, ‘Be under no illusion. There are women employers who are more ruthless than men. Women employers think about the point more than men do. They are more conscious of not employing other women because they feel they're not going to get the value of work out of them. I think it's right for women to be asked the question and I think it's right for women to volunteer the information ... companies have no divine duty to help with childcare. Companies employ people. It's the Government's responsibility to provide childcare. You pay a person a salary and they cut their cloth accordingly.’

David Cameron recently caused a stir by pledging to give a third of the jobs in his first government to women. Critics have pointed out the potential for talented men to be denied jobs while less-able women would be promoted ahead of them. Ann Widdecombe said she would have been 'grossly insulted' to be promoted on such grounds, implying that jobs should be allocated on merit alone.

I wonder what they make of the new law in Norway that requires companies to appoint women to 40% of their non-executive board directorships. In 2002, only 7.1% of non-executive directors in Norway were female. The government introduced the 40% quota as a voluntary measure initially, but when that didn’t bring sufficient change quickly enough they made it compulsory. The twelve ASAs - publicly-listed companies over a certain size - who had not complied by the February deadline now face being dissolved unless they appoint women to their boards.

Interesting interview with Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, this week in the Guardian. She talks about the way that women lead and her hopes that the current generation of female heads of state can model a different kind of female leadership through the Council of Women World Leaders.

Last week, Julia Gillard became the Australian Deputy Prime Minister-elect after the Labor party won the election. She will take up the post in December, becoming the highest-ranking woman in the history of the Australian government. She was born in Wales, but emigrated with her family at the age of one. During the election campaign, a senior political opponent said she was unfit for office because she was ‘deliberately barren’; she is unmarried with no children. Her response was that she was used to sexist comments from dinosaur politicians.