| Editors | Dora Marsden Mary Gawthorpe |
|---|---|
| Categories | Feminist, Humanist |
| Frequency | Weekly |
| Format | Periodical |
| Publisher | Stephen Swift |
| Founder | Dora Marsden |
| Founded | 1911 |
| First issue | 23 November 1911 |
| Final issue Number | 10 October 1912 Volume 2 No. 47 |
| Country | England |
| Language | English |
The Freewoman was an English feminist weekly review published between 23 November 1911 and 10 October 1912, and edited by founder Dora Marsden and Mary Gawthorpe.[1]
Although The Freewoman published articles on women's work for wages, housework, motherhood, the suffrage movement, and literature, its notoriety and influence rested on its frank discussions of sexuality, morality, and marriage. The Freewoman urged tolerance for male homosexuality,[2] advocated for free love, and encouraged women to remain unmarried.
Although its circulation probably never exceeded 200, The Freewoman had a significant influence in Modernist circles. Among its contributors were Rebecca West, Bessie Drysdale, H. G. Wells, Edward Carpenter, and Guy Aldred.
In March 1912 Gawthorpe resigned due to poor health and disagreements with Marsden. In September 1912, W H Smith refused to carry The Freewoman, and in October 1912, the journal folded. In June 1913 Marsden started The New Freewoman, which was concerned more with literary modernism than feminism and was funded by Harriet Shaw Weaver. In 1914, The New Freewoman became The Egoist.