What is a Gentlemen’s Club?

What is a Gentlemen’s club? If you hear the term, you may mistake it for a strip club. Truly, we do refer to traditional gentlemen’s clubs now as “men’s clubs” or “city clubs” or simply “private social clubs” or “private clubs”. In the U.K., a Gentlemen’s Club is a members-only private club originally set up by British upper class men in the 18th century. Do we have one here? Who can join? How different are they from social clubs or country clubs?

Gentlemen’s Club in America

We do have a number of Gentlemen’s Clubs here. In fact, most major cities have at least one traditional gentlemen’s club, many of which have reciprocal relationships with the older clubs in London. Some of them are that of secret Fraternal Orders composed only of hand selected members who exhibit true class. The mission of these Gentlemen’s Club is to ensure that the world stays aware of the importance of class and gentlemanly acts of chivalry. Members of the club usually discuss topics involving politics and economics.

Social Clubs

Some gentlemen’s club are still leaning towards that of a social club or country club type. This means that these clubs provide dining, reading, conferencing, and even accommodation facilities. Who are the members? Men, of course, and they typically share similar traits or interests, hence still a social club. Examples of such would be a gentlemen’s club for the graduates of certain educational institutions.

Membership Diversity

The defining feature of a club is its membership, who cooperate to fund the club’s expenditures and activities through the raising of membership fees. Such clubs, existing as they do for the benefit of their private members, are not open to the general public. However, most of these clubs that have been traditionally open only to men have also started to accept female memberships in recent decades. Today, some clubs are becoming accommodating about the gender and social status of their members too.

Gentlemen’s Club Around The World

Many other countries also have prominent gentlemen’s clubs. These countries are mostly those that are associated with the British Empire like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. In addition, New Zealand, Sweden, and Romania have also taken up the practice.