The New Woman:
Today, I was going through my old school books and found this gem. Oh goodness, how I remember this like it was yesterday! My best friends and I all completed our education residency at Cambridge University. One of the finest universities in all of England and we were so proud to be a part of the first group of women to attend college. First there is Mary, Louise, Elise, Margaret, then me at the end. We all graduated with immense knowledge in business; except Elise who majored in the Sciences. She was truly the smartest of us all, I always knew she’d be a renowned scientist some day. Although it was an amazing day, there is something I did not forget about. In the back of the picture behind us there is a group of guys. I remember seeing their faces with disgust as we walked past. Some snickered, some scoffed, one in particular said “You won’t survive in a man’s world darling.” We tried our best to brush it off and keep smiling for the pictures. Honestly it hurt, they wouldn't even allow us to get physical degrees, but rather just the recognition. I truly couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of us taking the same rigorous classes as our male counterparts, but them receiving degrees with their names and us receiving nothing. What was the point of graduation? Nonetheless, I am thankful. I am thankful for the opportunity to attend such a notable institution. I am thankful for the girls attending Cambridge today and so filled with joy that they are able to hold their degrees. They are the reason I worked so hard to get to where I am today.
Editorial Commentary:
Continuing reading the woman’s journal, I discovered a picture of a group of young women coming from an apparent graduation of some sort. In the entry the Woman reveals that she and her closest friends had graduated from Cambridge University in England, but she expresses great indignation that they were never given degrees. Cambridge University failed to grant degrees to women until the mid 1900s (University of Cambridge). Oftentimes there was great hostility that women could be on the same intellectual level as men. In 1921, the University held a vote to allow women to be conferred degrees, however they were met with riots from the male undergraduates of Cambridge University. “They satisfied themselves by searching for undefended parts of the college, shouting and singing, for another hour. For ninety minutes that evening, the women of Newnham were under siege,” (Sarah Watling). Women were not expected to take on the same roles as men and as a result, many men at Cambridge believed that if women were presented with degrees, it would devalue the accomplishments of male students, specifically when it came to the workforce (Elenaor Jones). As one of the last universities in England to offer degrees for women, the misogynistic ways of the Victorian people in the 19th century are quite evident. The Woman discussing the men having negative attitudes towards their recognition of completing school is no surprise but because of women like her as well as her classmates, the furthering of education was possible. She is not bitter towards those women who are given degrees, but instead she is proud that they are advancing and getting recognition for all of their hard work.
Citations:
“The Fight for Rights: The History of Women at Cambridge University.” Britain Magazine | the Official Magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture, 4 Sept. 2019, britain-magazine.telegraph.co.uk/features/history-of-women-at-cambridge-university/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2023.
Roberts, Stuart. “The Rising Tide: Women at Cambridge.” University of Cambridge, 14 Oct. 2019, www.cam.ac.uk/stories/the-rising-tide.
Tribune, The International Herald. “1897: Cambridge University Votes against Degrees for Women.” The New York Times, 22 May 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/05/22/world/europe/cambridge-university-women-degr…. Accessed 12 Oct. 2023.
Jones, Eleanor. “An Eighty-Year Wait to Graduate: Misogyny and Protest at Cambridge.” Uncomfortable Oxford, 30 Oct. 2022, www.uncomfortableoxford.com/post/an-eighty-year-wait-to-graduate-misogy…. Accessed 12 Oct. 2023.
Thorpe, JR. “Here’s How Women Fought for the Right to Be Educated throughout History.” Bustle, 11 May 2017, www.bustle.com/p/heres-how-women-fought-for-the-right-to-be-educated-th….
“The Gender Riots That Rocked Cambridge University in the 1920s.” OUPblog, 4 July 2019, blog.oup.com/2019/07/gender-riots-rocked-cambridge-university-1920s/.