Recent high-profile appointments suggest that male dominance in the study and teaching of theology may be coming to an end. But special challenges and dilemmas remain Pope Francis declared last March: “Women must have a greater presence in the decision-making areas of the Church.” Six months later, five women theologians were among those appointed to the International Theological Commission (ITC). It was an unprecedented move and builds on the inclusion of four lay women on the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, as well as the choice of Margaret Archer to head the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.Is this the beginning of a sea change in the contribution women theologians are making in the life of the Church? There have been several recent high-profile ap