Page 15 - BPWUK - E-news - Edition 107 - November 2022 - BINDED_Neat

In 1939 she became the Director of the Bureau for Refugees from war-torn Europe and
also served as an office management consultant becoming in 1943 an officer with the Brit-
ish Ministry of Labour and National Services on the Man and Women Power Board in
Leicester.

In 1942 she joined the De Montfort Club in Leicester, of the National Federation of Busi-
ness and Professional Women’s Clubs of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, known today
as BPW UK, where she served in various positions in the club before becoming the Divi-
sional President. She served two terms as UK National Vice-President (1946-1949 and
1950-1953) and was UK National President from 1953 till 1956. Following on from this she
joined the International Federation as Vice-President, serving from 1957 till 1962.
Since 1946 when the First Assembly took place in London, the International Federation of
BPW has been closely linked to the United Nations, having Consultative Status. In 1949
Ruth Tomlinson was the International Federation’s representative to the 3rd session of the
United Nations Commission on the Status of women.

Over the years her work in the international field was widely recognised outside the Inter-
national Federation of BPW and in 1958 the Foreign Office announced that;

“Miss Ruth Tomlinson MBE would be the United Kingdom’s representative
th
at the 12 Session of the UN Status of Women Commission”
th
She was also the UK Government Representative to the 13 session in 1959.
And this is where I make my entrance;

because in Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Honours of 1960,

“Ruth Tomlinson, UK Representative to the UN Commission
on the Status of Women”,

was awarded Commander of the Order of British Empire (CBE).

Throughout the rest of her life she lectured on subjects connected
with the United Nations Specialised Agencies and subjects related to
Management and Labour Relations, strongly advocating that help
should be given to the women of the developing countries so that they were enabled to
have a voice in world councils.

Speaking in 1963 at a UK BPW meeting in Huddersfield,
she explained that

“……the commission worked to ensure that women
of all countries were granted full partnership with
men in civil rights and business and professional
opportunities. “

She went on to say that

“…..the Government representatives were the
‘farmers’ of propositions and motions, while the
observers from the women’s organisations were the
‘channellers’ and interpreters.”