Canon Julia Peaty appointed Chichester Diocese's Dean of Women's Ministry

Ms Peaty will now have a formal role on the bishop's staff team and the bishop's council

The Diocese of Chichester has reportedly been known throughout the Church of England as an "unfriendly" place for female clergy.

But it is hoped that will change with the formal appointment of the Reverend Canon Julia Peaty as its dean of women's ministry.

Although Ms Peaty has been doing the job informally for the past two years, the appointment means she will now have an official role on the bishop's staff meeting and the bishop's council.

Ms Peaty said she was trying to get more women ordained in the church.

Figures show that 16% of the clergy in the Chichester diocese are women, compared with 31% in the Diocese of Canterbury and 31% in Rochester.

"Most dioceses have 30% women - we're a long way behind," Ms Peaty said.

The Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, was credited with creating the role

She added that most other dioceses had roles that looked after the interests of female clergy.

"In the past, we've had three bishops who don't ordain women so they're seen as not supportive," she said.

"That hasn't been my experience - although they won't ordain us, they have been encouraging, but I think they haven't perhaps encouraged as many women as we would like."

Ms Peaty said she felt a calling to ministry as a teenager, when women were not allowed to be priests.

After the general synod - the Church of England's parliament - voted to allow women priests in 1992, her church encouraged her to explore her vocation.

She was put forward for training in 1996, before being ordained in 2000.

'Slow process'

Ms Peaty is the current curate at the parish of St Swithun in East Grinstead and has been its rural dean since 2010.

She credited Dr Martin Warner, who was appointed Bishop of Chichester in May last year, with creating her new role.

She added that he had publicly said he hoped the successor to the currently vacant post of bishop of Lewes would ordain women.

"I'm very much hoping that people will no longer look upon our diocese as one that's unfriendly to women, and women thinking of new jobs should think about coming to Chichester," Ms Peaty said.

"The whole of Sussex really welcomes women's ministry - I want us to have a positive profile."

Dr Warner said Ms Peaty's new post would give her "a clear description of her role in ensuring that women in ordained and lay ministry are recognised, valued, and increased in number".

"I am delighted that she will continue in this new post with enhanced profile and opportunities," he added.

Proposed legislation to create women bishops failed to win the backing of the general synod in November last year. The Church will reconsider the issue in the summer.

However, Ms Peaty said she believed people were more encouraging of women's ministry.

"It's only been 100 years since we were really considered second class citizens - we didn't even have the vote," she said.

"So you can't expect things to change hugely overnight, it's a slow process.

"I think the thing is that we're determined to change things."