Woman's clubs or women's clubs are examples of the woman's club movement. Many local clubs and national or regional federations were influential in history. The importance of some local clubs is demonstrated by their women's club buildings being listed on historic registries.
In the United States, the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) became the primary umbrella organization of women's clubs in the United States. "For the later part of the nineteenth century and much of the twentieth century, the women's clubs were an essential vehicle for women's activity outside of the home." and In New Mexico alone, a state federation grew to include 59 clubs.
In Australia, the Country Women's Association had numerous clubs.
Most historical women's clubs served social and charitable purposes, most of which may seem relatively uncontroversial today. These purposes have included voluntary civic service purposes such as: opening lending libraries and seeking funding to create permanent public libraries pursuing historic preservation advocating for women's suffrage, other rights for women campaigning against lynching and Jim Crow laws serving as professional women's clubs, comparable to historic men's clubs of London serving as athletic clubs or otherwise supporting sports, physical activity addressing sanitation and health issues hosting social activities, including card games hosting lectures and otherwise engaging in education addressing employment and labor conditions Some women's groups with a more activist political orientation which used "club" in their name, such as perhaps the Alpha Suffrage Club which fought for black female suffrage in Chicago, are included here, too.
Notable examples
International Red Hat Society, international social organization International Association of Lyceum Clubs, founded in 1904 in London, England, asserted to have clubs in 17 countries. Was formed as a place for women involved with literature, journalism, art, science and medicine to meet in an atmosphere that was similar to the men's professional clubs of that era. List of Cosmopolitan Clubs. England, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, China, India, U.S. (Are/were these all women's clubs? The ones in Philadelphia and NYC were, and have articles, and are separate items below.) Junior League, founded in 1901 in New York City, went international in 1926. A charitable women's empowerment organization. Over 295 Leagues around the world. P.E.O. Sisterhood, founded as a sorority in Iowa in 1869, went national in 1883. A charitable organization. Woman's Christian Temperance Union, organized in Ohio in 1873, has affiliates in Australia, Canada, Germany, Finland, India, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, United Kingdom, and the United States Women's International Motorcycle Association, founded in 1950, in 25 countries, purports to be the largest women's motorcycle organization Women for Sobriety, founded in 1976, for women only, an alternative to the Twelve Steps program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Women in the Wind (motorcycle club), founded in 1979, has had 100 chapters in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Portugal, also purports to be the largest women's motorcycle organization Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), founded as an international organization in 1894, had roots from 1855. In 120 countries.
Australia Adelaide Women's Club Bunbury Women's Club Brisbane Women's Club Karrakatta Club Lyceum Club (Australia) Queen Adelaide Club Queen's Club Queen Mary Club Wonglepong QCWA Hall
Azerbaijan Ali Bayramov Club, Baku, founded in 1920 as a literacy and sewing circle, it campaigned for women's unveiling and literacy.
Cost Rica Women's Club of Costa Rica (1940–Present), San José. Founded as the "USA Woman's Club of Costa Rica".
Cuba Lyceum and Lawn Tennis Club (1929–39), Havana. A women's cultural, social, and physical fitness organization; it established Cuba's first free public library, first children's library, and first course of instruction for librarians.
England Ladies' Alpine Club (1907–1975), London, the first mountaineering club for women. Ladies Dining Society (1890-World War I), Cambridge, a private women's dining and discussion club at Cambridge University. Primarily wives of male professors and college fellows. Members campaigned for Cambridge to grant degrees to women, and most were strong supporters of female suffrage. Pioneer Club (women's club), London Grosvenor Crescent Club, London, which split off from the Pioneer Club University Women's Club, Mayfair, London
Greece Lyceum Club of Greek Women, founded in Athens in 1911, has 51 branches including 16 outside of Greece. Its purpose is to preserve and promote Greek cultural heritage and it opened, in 1988, the Museum of the History of the Greek Costume.
United States In the United States a number of clubs were established, and corresponding buildings were built, in the early 1900s as part of a scheme by publisher Edward Gardner Lewis to promote sales of Woman's Magazine, but many more were independent organizations.
Numerous women's club buildings have been evaluated for listing on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) individually or as part of wider collections. Historic preservation studies have been conducted for women's clubhouses in Florida, in Illinois, in New Jersey,National Register of Historic Places: Clubhouses of New Jersey Women's Clubs, NJ, 2010-09-29 in New Mexico, and in Olympia, Washington
Women's clubs in the United States were indexed by the GFWC, and also by Helen M. Winslow who published an annual "register and directory" of the GFWC ones and some more, which was in its 24th annual edition in 1922. The GWFC did not admit clubs for African-American women, and Winslow's directory seems to omit them too.
Various clubs for black women / African American women are included by state below, but see also :Category:National Association of Colored Women's Clubs which includes a number of them.
Multiple locations nationwide, primarily in United States American Association of University Women, founded as "Association of Collegiate Alumnae" in 1882 American News Women's Club, established in 1932 as a newspaper club for female reporters. The club's records are held at the University of Maryland Archives. Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching, founded in 1930 in Atlanta, Georgia, grew throughout the south to have a claimed presence in nearly every county throughout the south. Fought against lynchings of black persons. Was restricted to white women only to better be able to affect white women opinions generally, and to address purported motivation of lynching to "protect" white women. Colonial Dames of America (CDA), founded 1890, just before DAR and NSCDA Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), organized in 1890 after the Sons of the American Revolution would not admit women and expand to become "Sons and Daughters". Promotes historic preservation, education, and patriotism. Membership limited to direct lineal descendants of soldiers or others of the American Revolution. Eclipsed the "Sons" in membership? with 195,000 members? Embroiderers' Guild of America, established in 1958 as a branch of 1906-founded Embroiderers' Guild headquartered in London, England, and split off later. Is this a women's club? Seems was not exclusively for women, but probably was effectively a women's club. Executive Women's Golf Association, founded in 1991, headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; in 2014 had 114 chapters throughout the United States, and 1 chapter each in Canada, Bermuda, South Africa, Ireland and Italy. General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), founded in 1890, federation of more than 3,000 women's clubs. National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACWC), founded 1896 from merger of 1895-founded National Federation of Afro-American Women, the c. 1892–94 Women's Era Club of Boston, and the National League of Colored Women (founded when?) of Washington, D.C. Ladies' Memorial Association, founded in 1865 in Winchester, Virginia Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic (Ladies of the G.A.R.), founded 1881 as "Loyal Ladies League", went national and assumed current name in 1886. It claims to be the oldest women's hereditary organization in the United States. League of Women Voters, founded in 1920 at the final convention of the National American Women Suffrage Association, to support educating women to take part in the political process. The Links, Incorporated, founded in 1946; the largest and most influential organization for Black women MacDowell Clubs, first founded in 1896 in Boston, about 400 in number, mostly choosing to be female only National Council of Jewish Women National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, founded in 1919, at a meeting led by Lena Madesin Phillips of Kentucky. In the 1930s it became a charter member of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women. National Plant, Flower and Fruit Guild, founded by 1895 (was this a women's organization?) National Society of the Colonial Dames of America (NSCDA), founded 1891, distinct from CDA formed just prior National Society United States Daughters of 1812, founded in 1892 as "United States Daughters of 1812" Navy Wives Clubs of America, founded 1936 in California Northeastern Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, founded 1896, first umbrella organization for black women's clubs in the United States, went back and forth in affiliating with NACWC, had 55 clubs in northeastern U.S. in early 1900s, was incorporated in 1927 Phillis Wheatley Club, African Americans' women's clubs, started in 1895 in Nashville, TN, also in Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New York, Ohio, Texas, Wisconsin and elsewhere Pulpwood Queens, founded in 2000 in Jefferson, Texas; reportedly has 400 chapters, including 10 in foreign countries and one in a women's prison United Daughters of the Confederacy, founded in 1894 in Nashville, Tennessee United Order of Tents, founded in Virginia, a secret society for African American churchwomen Women's Health Protective Association, founded as the "Ladies' Health Protective Association" in 1884 in New York City, had 40 clubs from various cities at its 1897 convention in Philadelphia. Yesharah Society, founded 1928, a social organization of female returned missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Had multiple chapters, peaked in 1950s (perhaps most numerous within Utah?)
Alabama In 1922, the Alabama Federation of Women’s Clubs had 219 clubs with about 6,000 members, not counting "Colored" / African-American women's clubs.
Clubs in the state have included: Alabama's Colored Women's Club Mobile Business Women's Club, whose 1912 building in Fairhope, Alabama was listed on the NRHP in 2018 as American Legion Post 199. Woman's Club of Perdue Hill, Perdue Hill, Alabama
Alaska In 1922 the Alaska Federation of Women's Clubs had 9 clubs with about 427 members. Anchorage Woman's Club
Arizona In 1922 the Arizona State Federation of Women's Clubs had 53 clubs with about 3,515 members. In 1932, the Arizona Republic listed 66 federated clubs throughout the state.
Coolidge Woman's Club, Coolidge, AZ, NRHP-listed Mesa Woman's Club, Mesa, AZ, NRHP-listed Tempe Woman's Club, Tempe, AZ, NRHP-listed Willcox Women's Club, Willcox, AZ, NRHP-listed Woman's Club, Safford, AZ, NRHP-listed
Arkansas In 1922 the Arkansas Federation of Women's Clubs, organized in 1897, had 250 clubs with about 8,000 members. The Aesthetic Club, a women's literary club formed on 16 January 1883 in Little Rock, founded by Mary Eliza Knapp and others Woman's Community Club Band Shell, Heber Springs, Arkansas, NRHP-listed Woman's Progressive Club, Wynne, AR, NRHP-listed
California