Gallery: 50 Years of Women at Wadham

Wadham kicked off a year of planned events on 21 September to mark 50 years of co-education at the College with a mix of activities that brought together a dozen alumnae from 1974, along with scores of alumni spanning the intervening years. Hugs, smiles and laughter marked overdue reunions, and from the word go there was excitement in the air.

A University-wide 'Meeting Minds' panel hosted by Vice-Chancellor Irene Tracey at the Maths Institute began the day. Called 'Five @ Fifty: the first co-ed colleges looking to the future', it brought together an impressive mix of speakers from the five Oxford colleges that took this inevitable and overdue step five decades ago (Brasenose, Hertford, Jesus, St Catherine’s and Wadham). We were thrilled to have Wadham alumna Mary Ann Sieghart (PPE, 1979), journalist, broadcaster, author of groundbreaking book, 'The Authority Gap', among the panellists. The event celebrated what has been achieved over the last 50 years, and considered the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Following that, in College, alumni who matriculated in 1974 and 1975 came together in the William Doo Undergraduate Centre Lounge for an opportunity to ‘congregate and reflect’. The energy and warmth in that space were palpable as alumni caught up, pored over archive photographs and reminisced.

Since 1974, Wadham women have been making their mark in the world, going on to do extraordinary things in all walks of life, and the experiences, achievements and insights of a handful of Wadham women formed the content of the afternoon’s two panels held in the Holywell Music Room.

The first, hosted by Professor Shazia Choudry, Hackney Fellow in Law, brought together alumnae whose careers involve advocating for the rights of women and girls in a global context. Abby Ajayi (Law, 1998), Verena Knaus (Honorary Fellow; History, 1995) and Lucy Lake (Honorary Fellow; Human Sciences, 1991). With their careers spanning law (particularly gender, human rights and violence against women), writing and producing award-winning TV series for major entertainment companies, and NGO careers with UNICEF and CAMFED focusing on migration and displacement and gender equality in education, it was a unique opportunity to hear our four speakers sharing stories and insights around advocating for the rights of girls and women in a global context.

The second panel, hosted by Cláudia Pazos Alonso, Fellow and Tutor in Portuguese and Tutor for Women, discussed women's role in Higher Education: the progress over the past 50 years and the challenges which persist today. Professor Dame Sally Mapstone (Honorary Fellow; English, 1975), Karmjit Kaur (PPE, 2004), Professor Ursula Martin (Emeritus Fellow) and Jane Garnett (Tutor in History and the History of Art) drew from their different, distinguished careers to mark positive changes since the 1970s while highlighting areas and issues where there is still much urgent work required to redress gender imbalances.

We are extremely grateful to everyone who joined us to make this opening event such a fun, insightful and engaging success, particularly our panellists. We are also grateful to Hilary Davies (French & German, 1974), who gave a dinner speech of great warmth, and to our Warden, Robert Hannigan. Our congratulations too to Eli Rubies (Classics, 2019), our '50 Years of Women at Wadham campaign coordinator.

We are also grateful to Beverly Brar (Modern History and Modern Languages), Julie Curtis (Modern History and Modern Languages) and Daphne Dumont (Law) from that inaugural year, who proposed creating the 1974 Dorothy Wadham Travel Grant, a fund for travel grants to support students who embody the pioneering spirit of Dorothy Wadham, and to those who have so far donated to it. Find out more about the 1974 Dorothy Wadham Travel Fund here.

Looking forward, we have several other events planned which will take place in Oxford and London. We are planning a talk in London for our 1610 Society and Circles Members for Hilary; an event in Oxford to mark International Women’s Day (8 March); a talk in Trinity to mark achievements by Wadham women in STEM; as well as a closing event to coincide with the Wadham Ball in June. More details will be publicised as details are confirmed.

More information is available about the history of co-education at Oxford and Wadham.