In June of 1878, the Association for the Education of Women at Oxford (the A.E.W.), was formed. This association resolved issues that had been taking place since 1866, when the first few Oxford women attended lectures. These women had to have special permission to attend lectures and the lectures they attended were given by friends or relatives. A few years later, in 1873, classes were offered for women, but they were still looked at as an experiment rather than an actual Oxford education. By 1879, with the help of the A.E.W., women could have an Oxford Education. Women had the option of attending Oxford while residing in a private home or attending one of the two residental colleges. The women who attended while residing in private were attending what became known as St. Anne's college in 1942, but it was not recognized as a college until 1952. Lady Margaret Hall and Somerville were both founded in 1879 as residential colleges at Oxford. St. Hugh's women's college was founded at Oxford in 1884 and St. Hilda's women's college was founded at Oxford in 1893. Today, only Somerville and St. Hilda's remain women's colleges. Allowing women to attend classes was a step toward the right direction in the suffrage movement. Education was still very limited to women, but with time the limitations became lighter, letting women continue to move forward in the suffrage movement.
