After 193 years of operating as a men-only establishment, the Garrick Club in London has made the historic decision to admit women as members. The vote, which saw 59.98% in favor, took place during a private meeting attended by several hundred members who deliberated for two hours on the matter. The meeting closed to non-members, included a cautionary statement from the club’s secretary, emphasizing the confidentiality of the proceedings and urging members not to disclose details to non-members.
Yet, it was disclosed that 562 members cast their votes in support, while 375 (40.02%) opposed the motion. Notably, actor Stephen Fry and journalist James Naughtie were among those who delivered brief speeches advocating for the inclusion of women.
In the late afternoon, hundreds of Garrick members, many sporting the club’s distinctive pink and green striped tie, convened inside the Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden to participate in the vote. The majority were eager for the vote to bring an end to six weeks of intense scrutiny into the club’s operations.
The Garrick Club’s closely guarded roster of members provided insight into its role as a bastion of Britain’s predominantly male-dominated establishment. Alongside the monarch, the list featured the deputy prime minister, numerous prominent lawyers, a multitude of House of Lords members, and ten Members of Parliament, in addition to leaders of influential think tanks, law firms, and private equity firms, academics, senior journalists, and the head of the independent press standards organization.
The membership profile indicated a predominantly white demographic, with the majority aged over 50. Notably, many theatre directors, producers, and actors, including Benedict Cumberbatch and Brian Cox, were also among its members.
The club’s management disclosed that they had received over 200 letters and emails from members expressing their intention to resign if the vote failed to pass in favor of women’s inclusion.
Musicians Sting and Mark Knopfler, along with Stephen Fry, conveyed their intention to resign, citing the “public controversy over this issue” which had placed them in an untenable position, jeopardizing their relationships with female colleagues.
In March, advocates for increased diversity in politics and greater female representation in public leadership roles expressed disappointment upon learning that Simon Case, serving as cabinet secretary and overseeing over half a million civil servants, and Richard Moore, leading the Secret Intelligence Service, were members of the club.
Moore and Case, who had previously emphasized the importance of enhancing diversity within their respective workforces, chose to resign from the club shortly after their membership became public knowledge.
Furthermore, at least four judges opted to relinquish their Garrick memberships amidst heightened media scrutiny surrounding the significant presence of senior lawyers within a club that had consistently voted against admitting women since the 1980s.
Women in the arts sector also voiced frustration in recent weeks over the substantial number of their colleagues who held memberships in a club where women were only permitted to visit as guests if accompanied by men.
Sources indicate that the club is likely to propose reinstating all members who resigned in protest over the recent controversy. However, the decision to admit women is driven more by a legal technicality than a genuine desire among members to include females.
Proponents of female inclusion in the club have already compiled a list of seven women they intend to nominate for membership. This list includes distinguished individuals such as classicist Mary Beard, former Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman, newly appointed Labour peer Ayesha Hazarika, actor Juliet Stevenson, Margaret Casely-Hayford (chair of the trustees of Shakespeare’s Globe and chancellor of Coventry University), and Elizabeth Gloster (formerly an appeal court judge).
The club’s admission procedure is well-known for its intricacy and sluggishness. It involves the inscription of names in a red leather-bound book, endorsement by two pages of signatures, and prospective members being invited to dine at the club. Subsequently, their membership is deliberated upon by committee members, offering an opportunity for dissenting nominees to be vetoed.
