What would happen if the women walked out of the Church of England? The question was posed on the social network Mumsnet after the General Synod voted last week to reject legislation to allow women to become bishops. The vote was reported as the Church committing suicide, stepping so far away from the values of the rest of society that it cannot survive. A bemused Mumsnet member called for women to boycott the Church, joking: “Nothing will happen without people who know how to make tea.” If that actually happened, the C of E could barely function, because it is so dependent on women. They make up one in three priests, and half those in training. Nearly three quarters of the people in the pews are women. If they all went, the male bishops would be left with very few people to lead, but then their Supreme Governor would no longer be around.