An elite men-only club in London has voted to allow women members to join the exclusive club for the first time in its 193-year history.
The Garrick Club, located in London’s West End, was founded in 1831 as a place where “actors and men of refinement and education might meet on equal terms”. The club, which now has over a thousand members – including politicians, actors, high court judges and even King Charles III – has never allowed women to join.
But a two-hour debate, followed by a vote on Tuesday night, decided applications for women to join the Garrick would now be accepted.
According to an exclusive report from Guardian, English actor Stephen Fry and radio broadcaster James Naughtie were two members who gave speeches during the two-hour debate, advocating for the admission of women in the Garrick.
Following the debate, 562 members (59.98 per cent) voted in favour of women joining the club, with 375 (40.02 per cent) voting against.
The #GarrickClub has voted to accept women as members for the first time in almost 200 years. The vote was 60:40. I'm not impressed.
— ImogenMartin – Historical Fiction Author (@ImogenMartin9) May 8, 2024
Picture yourself in a room with 10 men.
Now, 4 of them believe you don't deserve to be there.
Not great, is it? pic.twitter.com/eQX4H8kjQ1
In an email leaked to Guardian, the chair of the Garrick Club Christopher Kirker assured members “usual waiting times” for the acceptance of applications to the Club “will apply to all regardless of sex”. According to sources, the admission of new members can take anywhere between 12 months and up to 10 years.
However, Kirker indicated the Club “may need to decide to consider one or two exceptional or even Distinguished lady members soon”.
These potential women candidates that the Club “may need” to fast-track applications for include academic Mary Beard, former home secretary Amber Rudd and Channel 4 news anchor Cathy Newman, among others.
Last month, Guardian published the names of about 60 members of the Garrick in an exclusive report. These included King Charles III, Deputy Prime Minister of the UK Oliver Dowden, and even British actor Benedict Cumberbatch.
The publication revealed a supreme court judge, eight high court judges and ten MPs were members of the Club, as well as several other actors and journalists – majority of whom are white and over 50 years old.
All-male clubs in Australia
While their numbers are on the decline, men-only private clubs in Australia still exist.
Most infamously, the Australian Club, founded in 1878, continues to operate as a “private gentlemen’s club… a timeless sanctuary providing respite from the bustling modern world”. Members include former prime ministers John Howard and Malcolm Turnbull, media tycoon Kerry Packer and more.
The Melbourne Savage Club is another all-male club where membership is offered by invitation only. According to the website, “lady guests are welcome at the club at many functions and are always welcome at the Club after 4.30 pm on weekdays”.
The Athenaeum Club, also located in Melbourne, is for “gentlemen of good character” to join via nomination by an existing member.
Even more elusive is the Melbourne Club, founded in 1838 – the homepage is inaccessible without a membership.
The Tattersall Club, once a men-only institution in Brisbane, opened its member base to women in 2019.
Similar women-only elitist clubs also exist across the country, including the Queen’s Club, known as the “sister” of the Australian Club. This organisation was established in 1912 for women to get together, while their husbands, brothers, fathers and sons attended the Australian Club.
Are these types of clubs even allowed?
Anti-discrimination legislation in Australia provides carve-outs for “positive discrimination”, whereby discrimination on the basis of age, sex, race or disability takes place in order to improve access and opportunity for that particular group. These types of exemptions take place in the form of women-only gyms, LGBTQIA+ safe spaces and other examples.
However, this exemption has recently been tested in a discrimination case in Tasmania, where NSW man Jason Lau is accusing the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) of discriminating against him when he was refused entry into the Ladies Lounge.
US-born artist Kirsha Kaechele opened the Ladies Lounge in 2020 at the MONA, a space that contains special artworks, refreshments and even butlers to wait on visitors. Importantly, the “conceptual artwork” was created for women only. Speaking to the ABC, Kaechele said “the rejection of men is a very important part of the artwork”.
Following his visit in April last year, NSW man Jason Lau launched legal proceedings against Moorilla Estate, the parent company of MONA, alleging he was discriminated against.
Last month, the Tamanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled in favour of Lau, finding under Section 26 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1998, the Ladies Lounge did not meet the criteria of “positive discrimination”.
Earlier this week, Kaechele announced she would be appealing the decision.