In London, the historic private club Garrick, reserved for men only, will finally allow women to join

On Tuesday the Garrick, one of the oldest and most famous private clubs in London, which until now allowed only men to join, voted to allow the admission of women too, with 60 percent of votes in favor and 40 percent against. The vote was organized after years of debates and internal discussions: some members had long been asking to open the club to women too, and in this regard, well-known women such as the actress Judi Dench and the scholar Mary Beard had been proposed. However, some of the older members argued that allowing women to join would distort the identity of the Garrick, which was founded in 1831 and has become one of the city’s oldest private clubs.