Most of the time Zuzanka Penn is a 64-year-old chartered accountant. But for several hours each day she is MW Bro Zuzanka Penn – ninth Grand Master of the Order of Women Freemasons.

The Order of Women Freemasons is a separate group to the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) – the 298-year-old organisation of male Freemasons that’s possibly the most well-known across the world. UGLE has never allowed women to enter its ranks, and in the early 1900s co-masonry was born.

That is a type of masonry that still exists today, and allows both male and female members. But the Order of Women Freemasons is a separate organisation altogether that was founded in 1908 – meaning its now in its 107th year of existence.

“We work in the exactly the same way as the men but totally unconnected,” explains Penn. “We don’t mix. We share buildings all over the country - but there’s no mixing.”

That’s partly because UGLE only acknowledged women’s Freemasonry in 1999, and still do not officially recognise it. But it’s also because the women don’t want it any other way.

“We’re a women’s organisation, we do not wish to have men there,” stresses Penn. “It’s difficult to explain but to be in an environment just with women even for a short time is very refreshing without men muddling about. We don’t have any connection with the men except we work Freemasonry in exactly the same way.”

The male Freemasons have received a great deal of press lately as their archives have been opened and made public on the genealogy site Ancestry. Findings suggested that inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic may have been influenced by the Freemasons, and that they could have played a part in some of the biggest decisions over the past two centuries.

The collar that all female Grand Masters have worn Credit: Radhika Sanghani

Penn shrugs off these findings – the women’s Freemasonry faces no such allegations or conspiracy theories as it was born far more recently – but does admit that wrong-doing may have taken place in the past.

“In every organisation there are good and bad. I’m not saying every Freemason is a perfect person. We all do bad things – we try not to but we’re human beings and only god is perfect. Yes these stories come out and we occasionally have someone we don’t want anymore. It happens.”

She points to how much has changed over the years. While Freemasonry used to be shrouded in secrecy and its rituals and handshakes were never spoken about, it’s now far more openly discussed.

“When I first became a Freemason in 1972 it was very secretive,” she says. “I don’t understand why that was. The men’s Freemasons were also very secretive at the time - I think that spread through to us.

"I won’t talk to you about what actually happens in an initiation because a) we’re not supposed to and b) I don’t think too much of that knowledge should be in the public domain because it spoils it for people when they join." Zuzanka Penn

“Now we’ve got a huge site on the internet, we don’t hide what we’re doing, I’m talking to you,” she says. “If we make large donations to charity, we’re very happy to have that publicised. Next year we’re doing Race for Life (the national charity run for breast cancer) with the whole of the order. That would never have happened 40 years ago. We’ve only just come onto Facebook – how backward are we?”

But even with this move to openness, not many people can confidently explain exactly what Freemasons do. Penn tries to explain: “It’s a structure within which you can improve yourself, to become a better person. We have lectures, we have moralising, we have lots of visual aids – the most obvious one is a square.

“We talk about what a square means, like square conduct. It gives everybody an oasis of peace. Hopefully if we can make ourselves better people we can help other people.”

It is not a religious movement – though all members must believe in a supreme being – but more a spiritual movement where members can pass through up to 33 degrees. On each degree they gain more knowledge, learn scriptures, and have an initiation or celebratory ceremony.

These, however, are still secret. “I won’t talk to you about what actually happens in an initiation because a) we’re not supposed to and b) I don’t think too much of that knowledge should be in the public domain because it spoils it for people when they join,” says Penn. “It should be a life-changing experience, a wonderful day, and it’s not if they know too much.”

The apron that the Grand Master wears Credit: Radhika Sanghani

She won’t speak about the famous handshakes either. She dismisses them with a laugh and says: “Don’t get hung up on all that.” But in a way, the traditions are what makes Freemasonry what it is and Penn is keen to keep them going:

“I’m the Grand Master so if I walk into the room I expect everyone to stand up when I come in. Not because of me but because of the rank that I hold. That wouldn’t happen outside. It’s just respect and courtesy and caring for people. I think we have a lot to offer women from that point of view. Some of those values I think are slipping in some areas.”

She won’t use anyone’s first names when speaking to them – instead she uses their title or calls them ‘brother’ (something she has to do to her own mum who is also a Freemason) – and wears full regalia at events. For formal dinners, which they have after every evening meeting, that means long dresses that don’t show ankles, a white cloak, a special Grand Master apron and a matching collar.

The modest dress code is there for all members as well, but Penn says it isn’t something they have to keep to outside. “We don’t expect them to dress modestly outside of course not, though we’d want everything covered. If you see me at home I’m in a pair of stretchy jeans and I will go shopping in them. Some of our younger members are very modern. One comes in a different pair of Vivienne Westwood shoes every time we see them.”

"Diversity is something we have to work on really.” Zuzanka Penn

Younger members is a big area of concern for Penn. There are around 5,000 women’s Freemasons around the world but that number has shrunk over time, and she wants to make sure it carries on through the younger generation. Their members under 40 belong to the Pembridge Society, and they meet every Saturday so it doesn’t interfere with their working week and careers.

UGLE recently admitted it had changed some of its event times and cut meetings short so that professional members could continue their jobs. Penn says they’re also trying to change to appeal to a more diverse group of members: “We absolutely want to be as diverse as possible. When we started, there were quite upper class ladies of means. That’s not the case anymore.

“Our website needs to be improved because there are too many old people on it. We do go out to county shows and put our younger more diverse women on stands there to get a better impression. It’s something we have to work on really.”

A screenshot of their website

She originally joined masonry because many of her relatives and ancestors were involved, and has worked her way up in the order since the age of 22. It’s hard to see exactly why young women in their twenties would join today, unless they too have family connections, but Penn urges them to consider it:

“When I went in I was just curious. I think perhaps a lot of younger people may be the same. Some are looking for spiritual values, some for companionship some for self-improvement, some just want to join to be with other women and have some time quietly away.

“What we find from our young women is they find the structure and discipline very refreshing. They don’t seem to find that in different areas.”

She says many women enjoy meeting others from different backgrounds, ages and professions – but there’s no way she would ever call the Freemasons a feminist organisation:

“It’s absolutely not a feminist organisation. We have such different people. Some who are very traditional and some who are very modern and they mix together and bring different values to the organisation.”

Nor would they ever discuss women’s issues happening in the outside world such as gender inequality and sexism. “We’re trying to provide somewhere for people to get away from all of that,” she says. “It’s not to escape but to give you peace and strength to go out and deal with it.”

With that she offers me an application form to the join the women’s Freemasons. But as much as the thought of secret handshakes and female companionship appeal, the Masons' 'discipline', lack of feminism and emphasis on 'a supreme being' do not.