Women in Freemasonry

Embracing the important principle of gender equality, mixed-gender lodges are open to men and women on an equal basis. There are also purely feminine lodges that are open to women only. It is true that the 1723 Book of Constitutions of the Freemasons excluded the entrance of women, but this was within the social milieu and clubbing practices of London common in 1723. That having been said, the best of recent academic scholarship has shown that in a number of situations, and at a variety of places, women have historically constituted a presence in Freemasonry. This was at first a small, but yet increasing, presence.

In the instance of eighteenth century women in Freemasonry in France they were largely confined to a so-called "adoptive" Masonry—Les loges d’ Adoption. In this situation female Lodges were established under the authority of male Lodges. They were a type of proxy, or auxiliary, Freemasonry and using rituals in this early time that were different than those of the men. The adoptive Lodges developed steadily throughout the eighteenth-, nineteenth- and twentieth- centuries. On 21 October, 1945, as women and men returned from fighting in World War II, Anne-Marie Gentily, presiding over a meeting of assembled Lodges of Adoption in Paris, France announced their reconstitution as de l'Union Maçonnique Féminine. On Septemeber 22, 1952, de l'Union Maçonnique Féminine became the Grand Loge Féminine de France. This is the oldest and largest all-female Masonic body in the world with its roots set deeply in the eighteenth-century.

An additional important illustration, among others, is that on 14 January 1882, Maria Deraismes, a journalist advocate of women’s and children’s rights, was initiated in the Lodge "Les Libres Penseurs du Pecq", in France. Eleven years later, she with Georges Martin, and others, created the "Grande Loge Symbolique Ecossaise de France, Le Droit Humain," the forerunner of the international masonic body for men and women called "Le Droit Humain," with lodges in North America.

In the 21st century, when women are enjoying the same rights and duties as men, when they pursue successful professional or domestic careers, when some of them are political figures, ministers in governments, or heads of state, it is no longer relevant to deny them the right to be initiated and to develop their spiritual, artistic, philosophical and moral life alongside their Brothers. We believe that men and women are complementary, in Freemasonry as well as in everyday life, and that the inclusion of women can only be of benefit to all. This is not to say that all-male lodges, or all-women lodges, in other Masonic jurisdictions outside of George Washington Union are not excellent and equal paths to work and advancement. They are and will continue to be so.

In the totality of the global community of Freemasonry, and especially in the Anglo American traditions of Freemasonry, the Craft can no longer ignore half of the population in the world. The search for light can only be accomplished through Harmony and Diversity.

As the poet Aragon said: “Women are the future of Men.” Freemasonry is thriving in the countries that accept this plurality.

 


Website templates