The Women's Conference first took place in 1920, following on from the formal creation of the Unionist Women's Association in 1918, and was subsequently held on an annual basis. Representatives attending received reports from the officers of the women's organisation and debated motions on items of contemporary political importance.

No Women's Conference was held from 1940-1945 due to the Second World War. On occasion political circumstances also prevented the Women's Conference from taking place: for instance, in 1979 and 1992 no conference was held due to the timing of those years' general election campaigns.

The Conservative Party Archive holds conference handbooks for 1939, and for every subsequent conference from 1948 through to 1997. Although the exact contents of the handbook varies from year to year, each volume typically contains the agenda for the conference, standing orders for governing proceedings, the text of motions submitted by representatives, and reports from the officers of Women's National Advisory Committee.