The Universal Language of Freemasonry - ArchiMeD - Johannes ...

Chapter 3 - Overview of Rites 81
Degrees of the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite and the York Rite 220
3.2 Freemasonry and Women: Adoptive Rites
& Co-Masonry
When Freemasonry was given its "laws," i. e. its "Old Charges" of
Anderson's Constitutions from 1723, the requirement for initiation was, among
other things, "that every candidate for initiation must be a man, free-born and of
lawful age." 221 Thus, according to the ancient landmarks, women could not
become Freemasons. This was the case in the early 18 th century. However,
Freemasonry has changed since. And society has changed a good deal, too.
Freemasonry is not composed of operative masons any longer, who have to do
hard physical work. And women have become emancipated in the meantime, and
should be allowed to think and decide for themselves, and therefore to participate
in the "mysteries" of a fraternal order. So did the countries react to the new
challenge?
The various countries treated this problem differently. Some were fast at it,
and some suppress the necessity of action as long as possible. France was a
220 Illustration taken from Scottish Rite Masonic Museum of Our National Heritage (publ.),
Bespangled Painted & Embroidered, p. 5.
221 Cf. CME, p. 364.