The latest data (2012) reports that there are 702,529 Catholic religious women (sisters) in the Church, as compared to 55,314 religious men (excluding priests). This means that 13 out of every 14 consecrated religious are women. On the world level, men constitute 7% of the Catholic religious community.
The proportions change if bishops (5,133) and priests (414,313) are included in the statistics, thus closing the gap between consecrated men and women. Nevertheless, the end result is that women constitute 60% of consecrated persons in the Church. This data is presented in the book Pope Francis and Women, published in Italy by Il Sole 24 Ore in collaboration with the Osservatore Romano.
Written by Lucetta Scaraffia and Giulia Galeotti, historians and journalists, the book ponders the role of women in the Catholic Church, particularly in regard to unresolved issues, in the light of the words of Pope Francis.