about us

Who is a BPW member?

A BPW member

• Takes professional responsibility on all levels in economy, politics and society.
• Thinks and acts locally, nationally and internationally.
• Practices networking, mentoring and lobbying.
• Enjoys lifelong learning.
• Works with United Nations and other international organizations.
• Practices friendship.

Our Aims

• To work for:
  

  • Equal opportunities and status for all women in the economic, civil, and political life in all countries,
    
  • The removal of discrimination;
• To encourage women and girls to
  

  • Acquire education, occupational training, and continuing education,
    
  • Use their occupational capacities and intelligence for the advantage of others as well as themselves;
• To improve the position of women in business, trade, and the professions, and in the economic life of their countries;
• To stimulate and encourage in women a realisation and acceptance of their responsibilities to the community, locally, nationally, and internationally;
• To work for high standards of service in business and the professions;
• To promote world-wide friendship, co-operation, and understanding between business and professional women;
• To collect and present the views of business and professional women to Parliament, national, and world organisations and agencies.

History

"No form of equality can endure, or prove effective once achieved, unless it has a sound economic base." Dr Lena Madesin Phillips, Founder BPW International Geneva 1930

BPW has its origins in the United States in the early years of the 20th century. America women received the vote in 1920 after a struggle that had lasted some 70 years. While many women looked no further than women's suffrage, a small minority understood that the pursuit of women's rights would be an ongoing struggle that was only advanced, not satisfied, by the vote [ http://www.legacy98.org/move-hist.html ].

Many occupations were closed to women and when women did work they were paid only a fraction of what men earned and women had to submit to laws when they had no voice in their formation.

Dr Lena Madesin-Phillips (1880-1950) was the first woman to graduate in law from Kentucky University. During the First World War she organised working women throughout the US through the US War Work Council. Through this work Dr Madesin-Philips became aware that working women had very few rights and she felt that its was up to educated women, like herself, to become a voice on their behalf as she knew that what working women needed were legal rights.

After the establishment of the first clubs in the US in the justifyearly 1920's, small groups of women travelled to Europe between 1928-1930 seeking to arouse interest in an international organisation. In August 1930, women from 16 countries gathered in Geneva and formed the International Federation. Dr Lena Madesin-Phillips was elected as the first International President.

Click here for a more in depth profile (PDF file 121kb).

BPW NZ

BPW NZ was formed in 1939, initially as an offshoot of the YWCA organisation. The initial focus of the NZ Federation was with regard to the war, and food parcels were sent to Britain. But at the same time a plan of study was outlined on the "Status of Women". Projects were also undertaken, and in the first decade these included:

• A survey of the status of domestic work and workers
• Juvenile employment
• Women jurors
• and in 1941, a series of lectures was arranged on "the Social Aspects of Sex".

Soon after the war, in 1946, when the Federation was composed of 10 Clubs and was becoming recognised as a nationally organised society, it separated from the YWCA. Some ten years later membership had increased to 940 in 19 Clubs. This steady growth continued so that, when the Federation celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 1989, membership totalled nearly 2000 in 45 Clubs located throughout New Zealand. In 1991 the Federation adopted a new Constitution and became registered as an incorporated society.

The Federation has maintained a close affiliation with the International Federation. Delegates and observers have regularly attended Congress and Board Meetings, members have served on Standing Committees and four have been elected to international office. In 1985 the XVIIth Congress was held in Auckland - the first Congress in Australasia.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, now a US Supreme Court Justice, learned the story of the Women's Rights Movement. Today she says, "I think about how much we owe to the women who went before us - legions of women, some known but many more unknown. I applaud the bravery and resilience of those who helped all of us - you and me - to be here today."

Official Collect of Business & Professional Women

Keep us, oh God, from pettiness;
Let us be large in thought, in word, in deed.
Let us be done with fault-finding and leave off self-seeking.
May we put away all pretense and meet each other face to face -
without self-pity and without prejudice.
May we never be hasty in judgment and always generous.
Let us take time for all things;
Make us grow calm, serene, gentle.
Teach us to put into action our better impulses,
straight-forward and unafraid.
Grant that we may realize it is the little
things that create differences,
that in the big things of life we are at one.
And may we strive to touch and to know the great
common, human heart of us all, and,
oh, Lord God, let us forget not to be kind!

By: Mary Stewart

The Collect was written by Mary Stewart in Longmont, Colorado, in 1904. She had it published as a Collect for Club Women, because at the time she believed that women working together with wide interests and important goals was a new phenomenon, and that a special meditation of their own would give them a sense of unity. The Collect soon was adopted among working women throughout the world.

Miss Stewart, who until 1910 signed the Collect with her pen name, "Mary Stuart", died in 1943.

Candlelighting

Once a year, each BPW club meets together as members of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women, to commemorate International Night.

Developed in 1941, the candle lighting ceremony honours the memories of those who have gone before and the work of BPW on every continent, both in the past and today. Today it serves as a reminder and link to all members, maintaining the sisterhood of women in a troubled world.

Traditionally a keynote speaker addresses uses the occasion to explore our international theme along with a moving recognition of the history of the achievements and struggles of women through BPW, including the enforced inactivity of BPW women in many countries because of conflict and hardship

Candle lighting ceremony instructions 2008 (PDF file 42kb)

International President message Candle Lighting Ceremony 2008 (PDF file 35kb)

Women working for women