ABSTRACT
One of the features of American culture that spread worldwide in the twentieth century was the idea of ‘service’ clubs, acting mainly or wholly to benefit the community. It has already been noted in our chapter on women’s clubs that in the nineteenth century such clubs in the USA differed markedly from their British equivalents in this respect. Few British women’s clubs saw it as part of their remit to do good works, while this was a central concern of the majority of American women’s clubs. However, the twentieth century transatlantic influence in this direction came from a very different source, namely the American project of Rotary Clubs, and their offshoots or imitators, such as the Round Table and the Lions, all of which have international aspects. Despite the fact that until fairly recently Rotary was an uncompromisingly male organisation, from very early on women have either taken part in activities supporting Rotary or have organised themselves along similar lines.
