WOMEN STUDENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26641, 11 December 1947, Page 10

WOMEN STUDENTS

EQUAL RIGHTS WITH MEN OTAGO UNIVERSITY A PIONEER The victory achieved by the women students of Cambridge in their campaign to achieve full equality with men recalls that the University of Otago was one of the pioneers in the British Empire not only in admitting women to its classes on equal terms with men but in granting them the right to obtain degrees. While Otago undoubtedly led the way, the council of the day did not evidently use its powers in the granting of degrees to women and it was left to the University of New Zealand to achieve the distinction of conferring the first degree on a woman student in the Empire. In 1877, Miss Edgar was “ admitted to the degree of 8.A.”

The University of Otago was founded in 1871 and it courageously offered equal rights to women students at a time when overseas universities were wrangling over the matter. At a function held to mark the coming of age of the University of Otago in 1893 both Professor Shand and Professor Sale claimed that Otago was the first in the British Empire to allow women to attend classes and obtain degrees, and its lead was followed by the New Zealand University. London University was one of the earliest British universities to give such privileges to women students, but it was not until 1920 that Oxford admitted women.

The campaign for the recognition of the full equality of women students at Cambridge began 80 years ago and it is only this week that the women have won a victory. Girton and Newnham will now become full colleges of the university, and women graduates will be able to serve on faculty boards and on all bodies concerned with the government of the university, having votes in Regent House and the Senate.