Book Review: The Women’s Institute

By Clare Bourke on November 22nd 2011

The Women’s Institute has come in for plenty of jokes in its history but the joke is on everyone else as the WI is due to celebrate 100 years in 2015 with around 205,000 members.

A new book charts the changing face of this very British institution and gives some fascinating insights into an early example of the ‘Big Society’.

When the first WI was formed in the Anglesey village of Llanfair in 1915, the organisation was startlingly modern – the lady of the manor’s vote and opinion counted just the same as her chamber maid or the local farmer’s wife.

Membership gave women the opportunity to learn new skills, support one another and make a positive impact in their local communities, irrespective of their social status.

This book by historian Susan Cohen includes stories and anecdotes from WI members through the years, including several from Hertfordshire, as well as many historic images.

The Women’s Institute by Susan Cohen; published by Shire Books; priced £6.99; ISBN 9780747810469

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