Soroptimist International
PredecessorSoroptimist Club, Oakland, California, US (founded 1921)[1]
Formation1928 (1928)[1]
TypeNGO
Headquarters8A Romsey Terrace, Cambridge, CB1 3NH, United Kingdom[2][3][4]
Websitehttps://www.soroptimistinternational.org

Soroptimist International (SI) was founded in 1921 as a global volunteer service for women with almost 66,000 members in 118 countries worldwide. Soroptimist International also offers Associate Membership and E-Clubs.

Soroptimist International has special consultative status at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at the United Nations which gives it a voice on important discussion papers and allows them to attend the Commission of the Status of Women in New York each year to where the Soroptimist International President leads a delegation.[5][6]

Every two years Soroptimist International launches a Soroptimist International President's Appeal.[7]

Etymology

The name "Soroptimist" was coined by combining the Latin words soror "sister" and optima "best", and can be taken to mean "best for women".[8]

Founding and history

Violet Richardson Ward

The organization has its roots in the Soroptimist movement, started in the USA in 1921 by Stuart Morrow,[9] and in particular in the Soroptimist Club of Oakland, California, founded that same year,[10][1] with Violet Richardson as president.[10]

Eleanor Addison Phillips

In parallel, in May 1920, a Venture Club was formed in Bristol, UK, with encouragement by the Bristol Rotary Club (formed in 1917) with Eleanor Addison Phillips (headmistress of Clifton High School, Bristol) as founder and its first president. In 1930, when it was realised that Venture Clubs and Soroptimist Clubs had shared goals, the two organisations amalgamated.[11] In July 2021, to commemorate 100 years of the Bristol Club (and celebrate Eleanor Addison Phillips), a blue plaque was unveiled at Clifton High School.[12]

The Federation, Soroptimist International of Great Britain & Ireland (SIGBI) was formed in 1934.

Sources agree that the Soroptimist movement was influenced by the existence of Rotarianism, but differ on the precise relationship between the two. For instance, Davis, in reference to early Soroptimism in the USA, wrote that Soroptimism was a women's organisation connected to the Rotary Clubs for men that promoted the support of professional women as well as the ideals of service and internationalism.[8] By contrast, Doughan wrote that the Soroptimist movement in Britain originally arose as a reaction against Rotarian and other masculinism among women who saw similar opportunities for service, but had no connection with Rotary men, or even if they did, were unwilling to accept the subordinate position implied by the structure of the Inner Wheel.[9]

The Soroptimist Club of London was started in 1923 and received its charter in 1924 from Morrow.[9] Its founding members included George Bernard Shaw's secretary.[9] Other early members included Sybil Thorndike, Flora Drummond, and Mary Allen.[9] The Soroptimist International of London Mayfair commissioned a painted enamel President's badge in 1946 from Arts and Crafts enameller Ernestine Mills, paying seven guineas for it. The design included their founding date of 1942 and commemorates the Alpha Club, founded in 1928, from which they grew, with the chain listing the names of the club's presidents from 1942 to 2006. These included Olympic fencer Elizabeth Carnegy-Arbuthnott and comedian Helena Millais. The chain is now held at the V&A Museum. Mills was a member of the Soroptimist Greater London club, for which she created an enamelled President's badge in 1933.[13]

Suzanne Noël

From 1924 onwards, Suzanne Noël was highly instrumental in the growth of Soroptimism.[9] Inspired by Morrow, who had come to Paris, Noël founded a Soroptimist Club in that city that year,[9] whose membership included Thérèse Bertrand-Fontaine, Cécile Brunschvicg, Anna de Noailles, and Jeanne Lanvin Alice La Mazière.[10] With the support of her Soroptimist contacts, Noël rapidly expanded Soroptimist internationally,[10][9] founding new clubs in the Netherlands (1927),[10] Italy (1929),[10] Austria (1929),[10] Germany (1930),[10] Belgium (1930),[10] Switzerland (1930),[10] Estonia (1931),[10] India (1932),[10] Norway (1933),[10] Hungary (1934),[10] and Denmark (1936).[10] The inauguration of the first Lithuanian club was interrupted by the start of WWII.[10]

Prior to WWII, Soroptimists worked to assist refugees fleeing unrest in central Europe.[9] Many Soroptimists themselves ultimately fled from the Nazis' consolidation of power.[9][14] In 1939, many members of the burgeoning Kaunas club were killed or deported.[10] In 1943, Marthe Hirsch, the director of a chocolate factory and the first president of the Belgian Soroptimist Club, committed suicide to avoid arrest by the Gestapo.[10]

After WWII, Noël resumed expansion. Her attempt to found a club in Czechoslovakia in 1948 was prevented by the Communist coup, but she was successful in Turkey (1949) and Greece (1950).[10]

By 1952, at least one club existed in Australia,[15] under the auspices of the Federation of Soroptimist Clubs of Great Britain and Ireland,[15] which included clubs throughout the Commonwealth. Thelma Eileen Jarrett joined this club in 1952 and became a prominent international Soroptimist, being elected president of that Federation in 1972.[15] In 1973, in Sydney, Australia, she chaired the first conference of the Federation to be held in the southern hemisphere.[15]

C. 1988-1990,[16][17] efforts by Soroptimists led to the founding of Caring for Carers Ireland.[18][19]

At the World Summit for Social Development in March 1995, Soroptimist International advocated for girls and women to have universal access to basic education and equal access to higher education.[20] It urged that summit to ensure that specific measures to achieve that goal would emerge from the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, September 1995).[20]

Soroptimist International Philippines marker

In the 2000s, Soroptimist International repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to the Beijing Declaration,[21][22][23][24] which emerged from the latter conference.

At least as early as 2003, Soroptimist International had gained consultative status with ECOSOC and official relations with the WHO.[25]

In 2007, Soroptimist International initiated Project Sierra, a four-year project[26][27] to help disadvantaged women and children in Sierra Leone, in partnership with the international charity Hope and Homes for Children.[28][29][30]

As of 2016, the Soroptimist movement continues to provide practical assistance for women in need via means such as educational grants, domestic violence shelters and mammograms.[10]

Structure and size

Soroptimist International is an umbrella organisation, with its headquarters in Cambridge, UK.[31]

Within this umbrella, there are five federations:[31] SI of the Americas (SIA);[31] SI Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI); SI of Europe (SIE); SI of South East Asia Pacific (SISEAP) and SI Africa (SIAF).

Each of these federations in turn contain local clubs.

Notable members

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Certification of Incorporation". Beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  2. ↑ "Contact Soroptimist International". Soroptimist International. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  3. ↑ "S I (SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL) LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  4. ↑ "Soroptimist International profile". esango.un.org. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  5. ↑ SI History. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  6. ↑ "Quadrennial reports for the period 2012-2015 submitted by non-governmental organizations in consultative status". undocs.org. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  7. ↑ "International President's Appeal – December 10th | SIGBI".
  8. 1 2 3 Davis, Kathy (1 October 2017). Dubious Equalities and Embodied Differences: Cultural Studies on Cosmetic Surgery. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780742514218. Retrieved 1 October 2017 – via Google Books.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Doughan, David; Gordon, Peter (24 January 2007). Women, Clubs and Associations in Britain. Routledge. ISBN 9781134204373. Retrieved 1 October 2017 – via Google Books.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Martin, Paula J. (9 March 2016). Suzanne Noël: Cosmetic Surgery, Feminism and Beauty in Early Twentieth-Century France. Routledge. ISBN 9781317047476. Retrieved 1 October 2017 – via Google Books.
  11. ↑ 100 Years of Sisterhood: Bristol Fashion by Dr Marion Reid - Redcliffe Press.
  12. ↑ Blue Plaque for Eleanor Addison Phillips
  13. ↑ Museum, Victoria and Albert. "Chain and Pendant | V&A Explore The Collections". Victoria and Albert Museum: Explore the Collections. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  14. ↑ Martin, Paula J. (9 March 2016). Suzanne Noël: Cosmetic Surgery, Feminism and Beauty in Early Twentieth-Century France. Routledge. ISBN 9781317047476. Retrieved 1 October 2017 – via Google Books.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Langmore, Diane (30 November 2007). Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1981-1990. The Miegunyah Press. ISBN 9780522853827. Retrieved 1 October 2017 – via Google Books.
  16. ↑ "New carers group launched in Ennis". ClareHerald.com. 13 March 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  17. ↑ Webmaster (10 February 2015). "Merger confirmed for Ennis-based Carers group". ClareHerald.com. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  18. ↑ "25 years of caring in Clare". ClareChampion.ie. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  19. ↑ Power, Andrew (1 October 2017). Landscapes of Care: Comparative Perspectives on Family Caregiving. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 9780754679509. Retrieved 1 October 2017 – via Google Books.
  20. 1 2 Nielsen, Poul (1 July 1998). Social Priorities of Civil Society: Speeches by Non-Governmental Organizations at the World Summit for Social Development. DIANE Publishing. ISBN 9780788171499. Retrieved 1 October 2017 – via Google Books.
  21. ↑ International Geneva Yearbook 2001/2002. United Nations Publications. 1 October 2017. ISBN 9789210001397. Retrieved 1 October 2017 – via Google Books.
  22. ↑ International Geneva Yearbook: Organization and Activities of International Institutions in Geneva. United Nations Publications. 1 October 2017. ISBN 9789210001458. Retrieved 1 October 2017 – via Google Books.
  23. ↑ Section, UN Office at Geneva Sales and Marketing (1 October 2017). International Geneva Yearbook 2003-2004: Organization and Activities of International Institutions in Geneva. United Nations Publications. ISBN 9789210001496. Retrieved 1 October 2017 – via Google Books.
  24. ↑ Geneva, United Nations Office in; (Geneva), Eco'Diagnostic (1 September 2004). International Geneva Yearbook 2004-2005. United Nations Publications. ISBN 9789210001519. Retrieved 1 October 2017 – via Google Books.
  25. ↑ International Geneva Yearbook: Organization and Activities of International Institutions in Geneva. United Nations Publications. 1 October 2017. ISBN 9789210001458. Retrieved 1 October 2017 – via Google Books.
  26. ↑ "American expat finds Sierra Leone heritage". The Japan Times. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  27. ↑ "Local Soroptimist Members Attend International Convention in Scotland - Santa Clarita Magazine". Santaclaritamagazine.com. 27 September 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  28. ↑ Project SIerra. Retrieved 17 July 2012. Archived September 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  29. ↑ Duong, Thyda (16–29 September 2008). "Soroptimist International: "The Best For Women"" (PDF). Long Beach Business Journal.
  30. ↑ Examiner, Huddersfield (17 February 2009). "MEMBERS of the Soroptimist International held a fundraising Curry Night to support Project Sierra". Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  31. 1 2 3 Nour, David (3 October 2013). Return on Impact: Leadership Strategies for the Age of Connected Relationships. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118834107. Retrieved 1 October 2017 – via Google Books.
  32. ↑ "Mary Bailey President 1967–1968". sigbi.org. Soroptimists International. 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  33. 1 2 3 Langmore, Diane (30 November 2007). Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1981-1990. The Miegunyah Press. ISBN 9780522853827. Retrieved 1 October 2017 – via Google Books.
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Binheim, Max; Elvin, Charles A. (1928). Women of the West: A Series of Biographical Sketches of Living Eminent Women in the Eleven Western States of the United States of America. Los Angeles: Publishers Press. Retrieved August 6, 2017.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  35. 1 2 "Mary Elizabeth Pickup". first100years.org.uk. 3 May 2017.
  36. ↑ "Madrid Williams". Georgia Women of Achievement. 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2019.

Bibliography

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