Co-operative Women's Guild facts for kids

The Co-operative Women's Guild was a special group in the United Kingdom. It was part of the larger co-operative movement, which is about people working together for shared benefits. This guild helped women get involved in co-operative businesses and offered them social support and other services.

History of the Guild

The Co-operative Women's Guild started in 1883. It was founded by two amazing women: Alice Acland and Mary Lawrenson. Alice Acland wrote a section called "Women's Corner" in a newspaper called Co-operative News. Mary Lawrenson, who was a teacher, thought it would be a great idea to create a group. This group would offer classes and fun activities for mothers and young girls.

Alice Acland began setting up a group called the Women's League for the Spread of Co-operation. Their first big meeting happened in 1883 in Edinburgh, with 50 women attending. Soon, local groups started forming all over the country.

At first, the league focused on spreading the idea of co-operation. But it quickly grew to do much more! The group started working on political campaigns for women's issues. This included important topics like health and the right for women to vote (called suffrage). For example, Annie Williams, a leader for women's votes, found in 1910 that "Co-operative women are very keen to know about 'Votes for Women'."

In 1884, the league changed its name to the Women's Co-operative Guild. Later, it became known as the Co-operative Women's Guild. In 1899, Margaret Llewelyn Davies became the general secretary. Many people believe she helped the Guild become much more successful. By 1910, the Guild had grown to include 32,000 members!

The Guild played a big part in making changes for women. For example, they pushed for maternity benefits to be included in the National Insurance Act 1911. This law helped mothers get support. The Guild also became more active in politics and even worked with groups outside the UK. They wanted things like fair minimum wages and more support for mothers.

In April 1914, the Guild was part of an International Women's Congress in The Hague. At this meeting, they passed a strong resolution against war. They believed that war should never be used to solve problems between countries. They hoped for a "partnership of nations" that would work for peace.

After World War I, the Guild became even more involved in promoting peace. They focused on the reasons why wars start and spoke out against the selling of weapons. In 1933, they introduced the White Poppy. This was a symbol of peace, offered as an alternative to the red poppy worn to remember soldiers. At this time, the Guild was at its biggest, with 1,500 local groups and 72,000 members!

The Guild continued to have local groups for many years. However, it wasn't as well-known as it used to be. After 133 years of helping women, the Co-operative Women's Guild closed on June 25, 2016.

Images for kids

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  Alice Acland, one of the founders of the Co-operative Women's Guild.