Brothers and Sisters

As I drove down Capital boulevard this afternoon I noticed a fair going on in the park. Boise has several parks one either side of the river running through town and fairs are held in these parks throughout the summer and fall. Today was the goddess fair. Ironically, the Idaho Historical Museum in the same park had a sign up advertising its current exhibit on the free masons which read "brotherhood". Sisterhood and brotherhood right next to each other. It made me chuckle.
A little deeper and I think there are some parallels. A quasi religious society for men and the same for women. Separated by hundreds of years. Is the same impetus behind the two forms? I don't really know much of the free masons. Perhaps I'll go see the exhibit and learn something. I'm not planning on attending the goddess festival though. I think I'd feel out of place.