The Elks Club, also known as the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, is a fraternal order founded in 1868. It started as a social club for minstrel show performers and eventually opened up to white males from all walks of life. As a private club, the Elks have the right to set their own membership criteria. For many decades, women were not allowed to join the Elks clubs. This led to the creation of various female-centric social clubs and organizations to provide similar networking and community service opportunities.
The History of Women’s Exclusion from the Elks Club
The Elks Club was founded in New York City by Charles Algernon Sidney Vivian and some of his friends who were associated with the theater industry. At that time, women were not considered for membership. In fact, it was not until the 1970s that the Elks Club started admitting women members.
The exclusion of women from fraternal orders like the Elks Club was common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this era, social clubs and gatherings usually involved gender-based separation. Women had their ladies’ auxiliary clubs while men would meet separately to talk business or politics without any female involvement.
This gender discrimination led to a slow evolution of parallel women’s clubs to cater to the interests of women who were left out of all-male associations. There was a growing need for women to have their own networking platforms where they could exchange ideas, provide services to the community, and unite for common causes related to women’s rights and social reforms.
The Rise of Women’s Clubs and Auxiliaries
In 1868, the same year that the Elks Club started, the first significant women’s club was formed – the New England Woman’s Club in Boston. It aimed to provide a space for women to discuss topics related to philosophy, literature, and social reforms. This paved the way for other women’s clubs at local, regional, and national levels.
Some of the most prominent women’s clubs that emerged in the late 1800s and early 1900s were:
– General Federation of Women’s Clubs (1890): This was one of the largest Federations of women’s clubs with hundreds of thousands of members. The groups focused on libraries, education, sanitation and other civic issues.
– Women’s Christian Temperance Union (1874): The goal of this group was to spearhead the women’s suffrage movement by campaigning against alcohol and its dangers to families and communities.
– National Association of Colored Women (1896): Led by Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, this brought together various African-American women’s clubs to give them a national voice. It addressed issues like women’s right to vote, anti-lynching campaigns, quality education and more.
In addition to general clubs, many local Elks Lodges started forming Ladies Auxiliaries attached to them. These auxiliaries allowed women related to the Elks members to participate in the charitable works and fundraising drives of the Lodges. However, the ladies groups were not granted the full rights of active membership in the Elks.
The Elkettes – Honorary Female Elks Members
In the 1920s, some creative ways were adopted to grant women a pseudo-membership in the Elks club. The San Francisco Elks Lodge came up with the idea of Elkettes in 1922. Elkettes were honorary lady members who could use the Elks facilities and participate in charitable projects.
The Elkettes phenomenon expanded to lodges across California, Oregon, Michigan, Alaska and other states. These Elkettes groups had their own meetings but they were not bestowed with the full rights and privileges of Elks membership. Women picked up various honorary titles like Daughter of the Elks, Lady Elks and Does.
The nomenclature, activities and involvement of the Elkettes differed from lodge to lodge. In some places, Elkettes could only visit the lodge one day per week and were barred from regular meetings. In other areas, Elkettes could attend dinners, events, dances and help the charitable efforts of their designated Elks Lodge.
This resulted in a rather confusing status for the Elkettes who did not enjoy the true perks of being an Elk member like voting rights and holding office. By the 1950s, the number of Elkettes declined as women started pushing more vocally for equal membership.
Women Join the Elks Club
Through the 1970s, women’s rights groups like the National Organization for Women (NOW) strongly criticized the Elks for systematic gender discrimination. They particularly opposed the fact that the Elks had partial tax-exempt status as a non-profit while barring women.
In the face of mounting socio-political pressure and formal complaints filed with local and federal authorities, the Elks Club finally removed its “white males only” membership requirement in 1973. The provision was changed to allow “people of good character” to join as long as they believed in God.
Initially, some individual lodges dragged their feet and denied membership to women despite the changed rules. There were even lawsuits filed by prospective female candidates who were turned away. But eventually the lawsuits were settled and female applicants were allowed to become full Elk members with all privileges.
Over time, the number of women joining the Elks grew steadily. From virtually zero female members in the early 1970s, women constituted about 16% of total Elks membership by 2005. Currently, there are around 700,000 members in the Elks and about 25% of newly initiated members each year are women.
While gender equality at the Elks took decades to achieve, the integration has given modern women access to the same networking and community outreach resources historically enjoyed by the men of the Elks.
Women’s Fraternal Orders Today
The need for separate female social clubs has declined significantly as most mainstream fraternal orders have opened up to women. In 1995, even the Female Elks officially disbanded since their original purpose was already met by the gender-inclusive policies adopted by the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks.
However, there are still some women’s club alternatives for the camaraderie and volunteer work offered by groups like the Elks:
– The links, Incorporated – Founded in 1946, this nonprofit organization empowers women through mentorship, service and education. They have hundreds of chapters across the U.S. and globally.
– Soroptimist International – Members work to advance women’s rights and gender equality at local and global levels. The Soroptimists have also raised over $30 million for education fellowships for women.
– Association of Junior Leagues International – With hundreds of community-based chapters, this group supports voluntarism, development and education for women to create lasting societal change.
– Zonta International – Zonta’s mission is to empower women worldwide through service and advocacy. They provide educational scholarships and fight against gender-based violence.
Conclusion
The Elks Club excluded women for over a century before finally accepting them as equal members in the 1970s. This led to parallel women’s clubs that served social, philanthropic and advocacy needs for women who were barred from male fraternal orders. While men-only policies prevailed historically, most mainstream clubs like the Elks no longer discriminate based on gender. Women today can enjoy full membership privileges along with the men. Despite integration, some niche women’s groups still exist, but they primarily offer networking and community service rather than function as an alternative to male-centric clubs that now permit female inclusion.