Although I generally enjoy KA's polemic I feel this is not one of her best books. She tries to cram in a review of women's place in religion - pre-history, ancient world, Hebraic, early church, catholic, protestant, etc -
in just 200-odd pages. Inevitably many sweeping generalisations and little real appreciation of the societies she discusses. Nor is there much detail about the events inside the Church of England. The real question is not "why is Catholicism so down on women" but "why did the Hebrews,in a culture with both female and male priesthoods/gods choose so rigorously a male God / male priesthood belief" ? (Disposed of my copy 2007)