"She added the decision was made in response to an April Supreme Court judgment which determined the 2010 Equality Act's definition of a woman referred to "biological sex" only. "To be able to continue operating as the Women's Institute - a legally recognised women's organisation and charity - we must act in accordance with the Supreme Court's judgment and restrict formal membership to biological women only," she added."
"The updated policy means that, under the Supreme Court's definition of "biological sex," trans men will be within their right to apply and be accepted into the women's organisation, even though they are legally recognised as men. Asked whether it was aware of this, an NFWI spokesperson said: "While the law is clear, we are still waiting for formal guidance from the [Equality and Human Rights Commission] EHRC on how to apply the judgment in practice.""
The National Federation of Women's Institutes will update internal policies to accept applicants based on biological sex only. From April 2026 the organisation will no longer offer formal memberships to trans women. The decision follows an April Supreme Court judgment that interpreted the 2010 Equality Act's definition of a woman as referring to biological sex only. Under the updated policy trans men, who are legally recognised as men, will be able to apply and be accepted as members. The NFWI is awaiting formal guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission on how to apply the judgment in practice. Government consultations on a draft EHRC code could further restrict trans people's access to sex-segregated facilities.
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