LONDON, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The Church of England ordained 290 women as priests in 2010 and only 273 men, the first time women were in the majority, The Daily Telegraph reported.
The Church of England Yearbook 2012 reported male clergy still outnumber females, the newspaper reported Saturday. There were 8,087 men in the priesthood and only 3,535 women in 2010, the last year for which statistics were compiled.
In 1994, the first year of women's ordination, 106 women and 299 men became priests.
"The figures are very good news," said Sally Barnes, a spokeswoman for the group Women and the Church. "They show the increasing numbers of women whose vocations are being recognized, accepted and valued by the Church."
Women's ordination has been a contentious issue with some conservatives leaving to become Roman Catholics. The church is now trying to decide whether to consecrate female bishops.
The church also reported women are less likely than men to choose to become parish priests. Among men, 173 chose to become stipendiary priests while 100 opted for other ministries, while 111 women wanted to be stipendiary priests and 179 selected other tasks.
