THE housewife of the Sixties living the suburban dream has become something of a cliche these days.

But behind the image of a frilly pinny and tea on the table for the working hubby, were a group of women determined to shake off the stereotype.

Fifty years on and the National Women’s Register is still going and for the women who have grown up with the group, and those who joined in recent years, it is still a relevant organisation today.

It all started in the letter pages of the Guardian newspaper. Maureen Nicol, responded to an article by Betty Jerman, who complained about young married women with children “squeezed in like sardines in suburbia”.

Maureen suggested there should be a national register for “housebound wives with liberal interests and a desire to remain individuals,” so that where ever they moved to, they could contact like-minded friends. Overwhelmed by responses from women, the Liberal Minded Housebound Wives’ Register was born, soon becoming shortened to the Housebound Wives’ Register.

In the Sixties, groups began to form and were encouraged to make their own decisions about activities and in 1966 it became the National Housewives’ Register.

At its peak, in 1982, the organisation had 24,000 members with affiliated groups in 28 countries overseas.

In 1987, it become known as the National Women’s Register and in 1995 Maureen Nicol was awarded the OBE for services to women by founding the organisation.

Nowadays, the register has 13 groups currently running in Essex, including Hadleigh, Wickford, West Bergholt, Burnham and Braintree, and 420 worldwide.

We spoke to the ladies who are still flying the flag for the register.

LOOKING TO RECRUIT YOUNG MUMS

Looking through her family photos, Janet Kirkpatrick can trace her life through her membership with the National Women’s Register.

“The register really has been with me all my life, from being a new mum, a working woman and now a retired woman who is busier than ever,” laughed Janet.

Janet originally started with the Forest Hill register in 1981 when she moved with her husband and six-month-old baby when she was 31.

“I was a young mum who had worked right through my pregnancy as a teacher and had just moved to the area. My health worker suggested I go along to the group as a way to meet new people,” said Janet, who was a teacher at St Nicholas School, in Southend.

“The first time I went along, the group was full of young mums who were all the same position and wanted to meet and socialise.”

Times have changed since the early days of register and now Janet uses the internet to recruit members to her Hadleigh group.

“The internet definitely makes it easier to promote and to contact groups. As local organiser, I now keep in touch with people via e-mail and we have had three new members join recently along with some interest in the last few weeks.”

Now the register is looking to recruit more young mums in order to keep the group running in the future.

Janet said: “It would be great to get more young women into the register because it still has a lot to offer. It is still a place for women to come and have discussions about things that effect them with like-minded women.”

The Hadleigh group is appealing for people who were past members in the Sixties, or who would like to join the group, to get in touch. For more information call local organiser Janet Kirtpatrick on 01702 470296.