In Freemasonry, as in all other areas of
life, women play an important role. The opportunities for women to
participate in Freemasonry are widespread and meet a variety of needs, from
social interaction in the Orders for both men and women, to the unique needs
met in the "women only" Masonic-related organizations. The moral and ethical
values that Freemasonry encourages are universal and not
gender-based.
Masonic Lodges maintain today a long-standing tradition of
restricting membership in Freemasonry to men. This tradition is based on the
historical all male membership of stonemasons guilds. During the Middle
Ages, men traveled far from home and lived in lodges while constructing
great cathedrals throughout Europe.
However, in the middle 1800s the
fraternity took the progressive step, for that time, of creating
organizations that included women, so that men and women could share Masonic
fraternalism. The Order of the Eastern Star (the largest of these
Masonic-related groups) was established in 1855, the Order of the Amaranth
in 1873, and the White Shrine of Jerusalem in 1894.
Two national
Masonic-related youth organizations are for young women: the International
Order of Job’s Daughters, founded in 1920, and the International Order of
Rainbow for Girls, founded in 1922. Rainbow and Job’s Daughters are involved
with local charities, community services, and educational programs.
Other
Masonic-related organizations limit their membership to women only, such as
the Ladies Oriental Shrine of North America, Daughters of the Nile, the
Daughters of Mokanna, and the Social Order of Beauceant. These
Masonic-related organizations, like many organizations in North America,
both social and professional, base their membership on gender. Junior
League, P.E.O., National Association of Female Executives, and Girl Scouts,
for instance, are organizations created exclusively for women, established
to fulfill their unique interests and specific needs.