Women's club (United States)

The woman's club movement was a social movement that took place throughout the United States. While women's organizations had always been a part of United States history, especially in African-American communities, it wasn't until the Progressive era that it came to be considered a "movement." The first wave of the club movement during the Progressive era was started by white, middle-class women and a second phase by African-American women.

These clubs, most of which had started out as social and literary gatherings, eventually became a source of reform for various issues in the U.S. Both African-American and white women's clubs were involved with issues surrounding education, child labor, juvenile justice, legal reform, environmental protection, library creation and more. Women's clubs helped start many initiatives such as kindergartens and juvenile court systems. Later, women's clubs tackled issues like women's suffrage, lynching and family planning.

While participation in women's clubs has waned in the United States, many clubs continue to operate and influence their communities.

The woman's club movement became part of Progressive era social reform, which was reflected by many of the reforms and issues addressed by club members. Many women's clubs focused on the welfare of their community because of their shared experiences in tending to the well-being of home-life, according to Maureen A. Flanagan. Tending to the community was often called "municipal housekeeping" during the Progressive Era and reflected a shared belief by many club members that home and city life were linked through city hall. By constructing the idea of municipal housekeeping, women were also able to justify their involvement in government. Later, in 1921, Alice Ames Winter describes how women had begun to see "their homes as the units out of which society was built", and that home life and public life were linked. Women's clubs "established the idea that women had a moral duty and responsibility to transform, define and shape public policy". Women's clubs were also "training schools" for women who wanted to get involved in the public sphere. They helped women attain both social and political power.

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