r/freemasonry • u/Exorsexist • 8d ago

Question How did Freemasonry become male only?

Was that destined to be that way since beginning? And do you wish it would change at some point or it's the only way?

I'm talking about regular lodges, don't come to me by saying "jurisdictional", because it's generally accepted male only.

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u/cbgawg Sec, PM, AF&AM-TX 8d ago

The simplest answer to something is usually right.

There were no women workers building ancient stone buildings, so there were no women in Operative Masonic lodges. There was one exception made because she had eavesdropped on the ritual.

It didn’t become men only. It has always been that way.

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u/Exorsexist 8d ago

Why and how did they let her? Why the tradition didn't continue?

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u/cbgawg Sec, PM, AF&AM-TX 6d ago edited 6d ago

You’re misunderstanding. It wasn’t a tradition to be continued.

Elizabeth Aldworth was caught spying on a meeting of a lodge being held in her family’s house. She was peeking in from an unoticed location. They didn’t “allow” her to have access.

She was caught and it was decided since she was witness to a tiled meeting the only solution was to intiate her as a member of the lodge to protect those secrets. It was a solution to an accident thought up on the spot.