New Delhi: In 1869, pioneer Emily Davies established Girton College at Cambridge as the first residential higher education institution for women in Britain. Although Newnham College followed in 1871 and female students could study at the university, they faced severe restrictions, including needing permission to attend lectures, limitations on taking examinations, and a total denial of university degrees. Cambridge University ultimately did not grant degrees to women until 1948.
The campaign for women's academic recognition reached a critical juncture in 1897 when a proposal was introduced to allow women to receive university degrees, though it still excluded them from participating in university governance. This measure provoked fierce opposition among many male students, who organized disruptive demonstrations outside the Senate House, firing rockets and throwing eggs as a university vote on the measure took place.
The proposal was ultimately defeated by a count of 1,713 votes to 662. Emboldened by this victory, the anti-equality protests quickly escalated into violence. A hostile crowd marched toward Newnham College, while other demonstrators tore down shop shutters and doors to construct a massive bonfire in Market Square.
Despite these hostile setbacks, female campaigners continued their long struggle for equal rights, building upon earlier efforts such as an 8,000-signature petition organized in 1880, alongside the formation of student societies and independent lectures. Cambridge eventually began awarding full degrees to women in 1948, making it the last major British university to do so, while the violent events of 1897 stand as a reminder that student movements do not always champion progressive causes.