At least 12 Women’s Institute (WI) groups are closing or considering closure after the organisation barred transgender women from membership, members have warned. The National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI) confirmed that from April, membership will be restricted to those registered female at birth, following a 2025 UK Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of a woman under the Equality Act 2010.
Emma Hawley, chair of Social Lites WI in Urmston, Greater Manchester, said her entire committee has stepped down. “None of the other members want to take our places – many immediately said they weren’t even going to renew their membership,” she said. “I can’t, ethically or morally, be a member of something that excludes transgender women.” Seven Hills WI in Sheffield will also close after its board stepped down and no other members came forward.
Clementine Dexter, vice-president of Seven Hills WI, said the group received about 220 abusive online comments after posting about their closure. “The NFWI’s decision has emboldened certain members to speak their minds and I think the federation has a serious issue as a result,” she said. “It’s going to struggle even more than it already does to attract younger members.”
Even branches continuing under the new rules face practical fallout. Sophie Hossack, president of Ladies of the Lock WI in Kentish Town, London, said their venue of nearly a decade refused future bookings because of the policy. Nora Salmon’s Hackney Wicked Women group will also close next month, describing “a carnage of concern and upset” and a lack of support from the NFWI.
The NFWI said it was acting with “utmost regret and sadness” and would create alternative “sisterhood groups” open to all. It declined further comment. Members argue the decision cuts against the WI’s grassroots traditions and has created a toxic culture that deters younger women from joining.
