Freemasons has traditionally and historically been available for only men. Perhaps this is due to the idea that Freemasons such as the Knights of Templar were focused on military and only men were admitted to being in the military. Whatever the reason is, women began gaining acceptance to becoming part of Masonry over time.
In 1850, the Order of the Eastern Star was established by a Rob Morris to include both men and women to the fraternity. It is now the largest Freemasons that allows both men and women to join. It began by only allowing mothers, daughters and sisters to join but now other female relatives are able to join as well.
The Order of the Eastern Star is committed to the teachings of the Bible and the emblem of the order is a five pointed 
star where the white ray of the star points down towards the manger. The Bible is used for teaching lessons by pointing out female Biblical figures including Adah, Ruth, Esther, Martha and Electa.
This branch of Masonry has several officers that include women as well. The General Grand Chapter headquarters is located at Washington D.C. The Order of the Eastern Star is committed to charities and their charitable foundation has recently donated to Alzheimer’s disease research, diabetes research for children, asthma research for children and other scholarships. Eleanor Roosevelt, Clara Barton and Maya Angelou are famous members of the Eastern Star Order.
( 엘레나 루스벨트, 클라라 바톤과 마야 아그넬루는 이스턴 스타 로지의 유명한 멤버이다. )
Aside from the Order of the Eastern Star, there are other branches of Masonry dedicated to only women or co-ed ones. These include the Order of the Amaranth, the White Shrine of Jerusalem, the Social Order of Beauceant, the Daughters of the Nile, and the International Order of the Rainbow Girls.
The Order of the Rainbow Girls is actually affiliated with Masonic Lodges, the Order of the Eastern Star and Courts of Amaranth. The Rainbow is a symbol for connection with fraternal life and for beauty. The order is committed to the idea that the life only continues and expands because of women who are bearers of life. The Rainbow Girls accepts teenage girls who take up activities and responsibilities for a better future fraternal and social life.
The Order of Amaranth is another women’s organization associated with Masonry. The women who become members would have to be related the Male Masons or were already active members of the International Order of the Rainbow Girls or Job’s Daughter International. The Order of Amaranth teaches its members about their service to God, their country and other people. One of the charitable foundations is of the order is Amaranth Diabetes Foundation.
Although women have not been able to join regular Masonic lodges, there have been efforts throughout the history of Masonry to allow women to join and serve the community as well as better themselves. Each branch of Masonry dedicated to the inclusion of women has its own rituals and traditions as well as symbolism. These customs, however, are still based on the general Masonic rule.
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