The Ladies Society and Ladies Club: Two Examples of Women’s Associations in Zagreb

Abstract

Membership in the Territorial Ladies Society for Women’s Education and Enrichment in Croatia and Slavonia (1900) and the Ladies Club in Zagreb (1901) was restricted to women, who, in fact, mostly belonged to the social elite. The Society and the Club were linked organizations exclusively saw to the needs of women and were particularly dedicated to the education of young schoolgirls. While the Society was dedicated to women’s philanthropy, the Club dedicated special care to the sociability of its members. The beneficiaries of philanthropic work, as well as the women who managed it, greatly benefited from the work of these associations. By helping schoolgirls from lower social classes, the female members of the elite were helping themselves as well. They participated in public life and were able to gain management and decision-making experience. In the broadest sense, they actively involved in political issues, i.e., social policies.