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Hilda Tweedy, ''née'' Anderson (1911–2005) was an Irish women's rights activist. A founding member and leader of the Irish Housewives' Association (IHA), she was active for decades advocating for the rights of women on a diverse number of issues including equal pay, girls' education, recycling, the marriage bar (an Irish law that required a woman employed in the civil service to resign her position when she married), the right of women to serve on juries, and other issues. In 1973, she became the first chairperson of the Council for the Status of Women.
Description of the Hilda Tweedy Papers at the National Archives of Ireland.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tweedy, Hilda 1911 births 2005 deaths Irish women's rights activists County Monaghan
Hilda Tweedy, ''née'' Anderson (1911–2005) was an Irish women's rights activist. A founding member and leader of the Irish Housewives' Association (IHA), she was active for decades advocating for the rights of women on a diverse number of issues including equal pay, girls' education, recycling, the marriage bar (an Irish law that required a woman employed in the civil service to resign her position when she married), the right of women to serve on juries, and other issues. In 1973, she became the first chairperson of the Council for the Status of Women.
Life
Hilda Anderson was born inClones, County Monaghan
Clones ( ; , meaning 'meadow of Eois') is a small town in the west of County Monaghan in Ireland. The area is part of the List of regions of the Republic of Ireland, Border Region in the Republic of Ireland, earmarked for economic development b ...
on 26 August 1911. She was the eldest of three girls born to Rev. James Ferguson Anderson and Muriel Frances Victoria Swayne. She was educated at Alexandra College
Alexandra College () is an independent day and boarding school for girls in Milltown, Dublin, Ireland. The school operates under a Church of Ireland ethos.
History
The school was founded in 1866 and takes its name from Princess Alexandra of ...
. After leaving school, she joined her parents in Egypt. From 1929 to 1936, she lived in Egypt, starting a PNEU school in Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
, and reading for an external mathematics degree from the University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
.
In 1936, she married Robert Tweedy in Egypt, and returned to Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
.
Tweedy was refused a job as a teacher on the grounds that if she became pregnant it would be unpleasant for her students. With the onset of World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, she resolved to tackle the effects of wartime food shortages on children. Her efforts with four other women resulted in the Housewives Petition of 1941, out of which grew the Irish Housewives Committee in 1942, which became the IHA in 1946. Under Tweedy's leadership the IHA incorporated the Irish Women's Citizens Association in 1947, a group founded to lobby for reform of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland which defined (Article 41.2) women as home-makers. The merger "strengthened our feminist convictions" explained Tweedy. The work of the IHA expanded from just consumer rights to advocating for political rights. The organization fought for accessible nutritious food, public health, social welfare, and education for all. She was the official Irish delegate to the United Nations World Conference on Women in 1975. In 1992, she published ''A Link in the Chain: The Story of the Irish Housewives Association 1942–1992.''
In 2003, she donated her papers to the National Archives of Ireland
The National Archives of Ireland () is the official repository for the state records of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Established by the National Archives Act 1986, taking over the functions of the State Paper Office (founded 1702) and the Publi ...
.
References
Further reading
*External links
Description of the Hilda Tweedy Papers at the National Archives of Ireland.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tweedy, Hilda 1911 births 2005 deaths Irish women's rights activists County Monaghan