Papers relating to the Oxford diocese Working Party for the EDCSW, chaired by Jennifer Beresford. This group met for the first time on 13 Jan 1993. Agreeing that the aims of the World Council of Churches were 'admirable but daunting', its 10 members - six women and four men - decided to concentrate on the problems that women faced in the Oxford diocese, and aim to: increase the participation of women at all levels in diocesan matters; increase the confidence and assertiveness of women; and help them challenge discrimination and 'oppressive structures and attitudes in the Church and the community'.
The Working Party met regularly, but the papers are incomplete. They include the agenda and report of a meeting on 28 Jun 1993; a Working Party Report dated Oct 1994; 'Definitions of Poverty', a briefing paper for the Oxford Board for Social Responsibility, Jul 1995; two reports for that Board (1995 and 1996); an annotated report of the conclusions of three meetings on women and poverty in 1996; a paper by Jennifer Beresford written in 1998, summarising the issues and what had been achieved.