The Acceptable Face of Feminism: The Women's Institute as a Social Movement

Abstract

The British Women's Institute is more often associated with jam and Jerusalem than radical activity, but in this book Maggie Andrews explores the WI's relationship with feminism from the formation of the organisation in 1915 up to the eve of British feminism's renaissance in the late 1960s.The book aims to challenge, not only common sense perceptions about the Women's Institute but also those about feminism, interrogating preoccupations with domestic spaces and skills. This makes it is valuable reading for those interested in both historical and contemporary feminism, as well as, more broadly, the history of the twentieth century. Attention is given to the female cultural space and the value system provided by the WI, and the campaigns that articulated the needs of rural women and attempted to meet them.In this 100 th anniversary year of the founding of the WI, this celebrated text is re-published in a new and completely revised edition. Maggie Andrews's new afterword considers the resurgence of interest in the WI amongst young women in the twenty-first century, and the relationship between this and the contemporary cultural enthusiasm for the domestic. There is also a new chapter on the formation of the WI in the First World War and substantial additions to existing chapters, including discussions of the WI involvement with radio in the inter-war years, and with evacuation in the Second World War. MaggieAndrews is Professor of Cultural History at the University of Worcester; her research and publications have explored the inter-relationship of domesticity and femininity and most recently the Home Front in the First and Second Word Wars in Britain. BIC codes: JFFK, HBTB, 3JJ, 3JM, JFSJ1

‘Feminism rules! Now, where’s my swimsuit?’ Re-evaluating feminist discourse in print media 1968–2008

“…For example, one Times feature celebrated the 'new face of the WI [Women's Institute]', emphasizing how it 'straddles the divide between cosy domesticity and modern urban feminism (with a dash of politics thrown in for good measure)' (The Times, 2008: 4). Although better known for its promotion of crafts than women's rights, there exists an academic debate on whether the WI could be considered a feminist organization (see Andrews, 1997). In this article, however, it is clear that even though the WI isn't labelled as a feminist network per se, one particular branch is comprised of women who display their femininity and commitment to feminism through performing tasks such as knitting, baking and sewing.…”

Redefining ‘the woman with the basket’: The Women's Co‐operative Guild and the Politics of Consumption in Britain during the Second World War

“…5 Knowledge of the way in which war shaped the activities and ideology of feminist groups and women's voluntary organisations, which sought to expand female notions of citizenship particularly during the Second World War, has also been significantly elucidated by studies of bodies such as the Women's Institute (WI), the Women's Voluntary Services (WVS) and Townswomen's Guilds. 6 The working-class housewife, however, remains at best a shadowy presence in this literature, despite some useful leads concerning individual attitudes. 7 Their agency is also underplayed by those social historians who have explored wartime austerity, including the effects on ordinary consumers of rationing and the black market.…”

“…They were ready to fight anybody who tried to limit their right to exploit the consumer in their own way'. 65 Gordon Schaffer (1905-1997, a fellow traveller journalist on Reynolds's News -the Sunday paper owned by the Co-operative movement -developed a similar analysis in a widely-read pamphlet which argued that US and German combines, such as Standard Oil and IG Farben, had conspired together before the war to reduce supplies of goods and inflate prices, weakening the ability of democratic countries to resist the Nazis. Such firms had continued to prosper even during the conflict, with, Unilever expanding into Iraq and elsewhere: 'Even in a war against Fascism the cartels march with the liberating armies', Schaffer wrote.…”

Identity in Focus

“…Today the WI has a somewhat conservative image, but historically the organization has had strong links with the women's movement. Such links were particularly strong during the period of first wave feminism, with many women combining their fight for the vote with promotion and membership of the newly established WI groups (Andrews, 1997). It remains the largest women's voluntary organization in Britain, and continues to mobilize and campaign around a variety of issues, particularly those concerning women, children, the family and rural life.…”