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.

Life

Hilda Anderson was born in

Clones, County Monaghan Clones ( ; , meaning 'meadow of Eois') is a small town in western County Monaghan, Ireland. The area is part of the Border Region, earmarked for economic development by the Irish Government due to its currently below-average economic situation ...

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 ( ir, Coláiste Alexandra) is a fee-charging boarding and day school for girls located in Milltown, Dublin, Ireland. The school operates under a Church of Ireland ethos. History The school was founded in 1866 and takes its ...

. After leaving school she joined her parents in Egypt. From 1929 to 1936 she lived in Egypt, starting a PNEU school in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

, 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-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. In 1936 she married Robert Tweedy in Egypt, and returned to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. 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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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 The Irish Housewives Association (IHA) was an influential pressure group founded in 1942 to speak out about injustices and the needs of Irish women, inside and outside the home.Hilda Tweedy obituary, ''Irish Times'', 9 July 2005. The organization c ...

in 1942, which became the IHA in 1946. Under Tweedy's leadership the IHA incorporated the

Irish Women's Citizens Association The Irish Women's Citizens Association was an influential non-governmental organisation created in 1923 to advocate for women's rights in the aftermath of the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. Originally known as the Irish Wome ...

in 1947, a group founded to lobby for reform of the

1937 Constitution of Ireland The Constitution of Ireland ( ga, Bunreacht na hÉireann, ) is the constitution, fundamental law of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It asserts the national sovereignty of the Irish people. The constitution, based on a system of representative democra ...

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 ( ga, Cartlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is the official repository for the state records of Ireland. Established by the National Archives Act 1986, taking over the functions of the State Paper Office (founded 17 ...

References

External links

Description of the Hilda Tweedy Papers at the National Archives of Ireland.
Irish women's rights activists 1911 births 2005 deaths {{Feminism-activist-stub