It’s finally happened

I guess we all knew that it couldn’t be long until St Hilda’s, the last all-women college in Oxford, voted to go mixed. Foregone conclusion when the JCR voted in favour, really. Hilda’s wasn’t my college, but I do feel sad.

This entry was posted on 7 June 2006 at 4:53 pm and is filed under Oxford life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

15 comments »

  1. Paul Burgin | 7 June 2006 7:08 pm

    Stupid question I know, but why? For instance if it was an all-male college voting to go co-ed, surely you would rejoice!

  2. Antonia | 7 June 2006 7:17 pm

    Paul - the situations are not comparable. Women, who were not permitted access to higher education for decades - centuries even - had to create their own pathways to getting a degree. Women are still underrepresented at Oxford, particularly at MCR and SCR levels, and I’m sad at the demise of an institution that promoted women’s achievement. Male-only space has traditionally been used to entrench male privilege and exclude women; women-only space is empowering and enabling, as women don’t have the power to entrench.

  3. Paul Burgin | 7 June 2006 9:57 pm

    I get your point, although I disagree with the last sentence, plus the fact that surely many capable women are/were unaware of St Hilda’s and are managing to get ahead regardless, although I appreciate that there is a long way to go! Plus there is the fact that the college did vote to go mixed!

    (Feeling guilty for writing that but agreeing with what I wrote nonetheless)

    Paul

  4. Antonia | 7 June 2006 10:31 pm

    Paul - I didn’t say that the only way for women to get ahead was by creating women-only institutions - that did use to be the case, but thankfully it isn’t any longer, though many of those institutions are still indispensable in a world where power is still overwhelming concentrated in the hands of men.

  5. Paul Burgin | 7 June 2006 11:49 pm

    Fair enough!

  6. Milan | 8 June 2006 1:28 am

    As I understand it, almost everyone who goes to St. Hilda’s at present does so as a second choice. That may be entirely wrong but, if so, I’d like to find an authoritative source on the matter.

  7. Antonia | 8 June 2006 9:29 am

    Milan - good to hear from you, been missing your blog! It is the case, certainly at undergraduate level, that many women are allocated rather than choose St Hilda’s. If the university were to changeits hiring procedures to allow women-only apppointments to the St Hilda’s fellowship, as they do in Cambridge where there are still three thriving women-only colleges, then maybe the relative academic reputation of the college would go up and applications would increase.

  8. jdc | 8 June 2006 11:57 am

    I don’t think it’s ‘almost everyone’, Milan, I think it’s about half and half. But Antonia is absolutely right - Hilda’s has a Principal who is ashamed of what the college is. It could have attracted more applicants if it was prouder and more confident.

    Lots of discussion on this here. Well, lots of me having a good old fashioned online fight, anyway.

  9. jdc | 8 June 2006 12:00 pm

    I should add that the JCR vote was a shameful exercise in manipulation by a Principal who provided information of dubious factual accuracy to the undergraduates, presented the controversial vote as a fait accompli, was held early on in the college lives of first years who often take time to see the benefits if they weren’t first-choice Hilda’s applicants, and most importantly followed a college-organised “debate” at which only the pro-mixing side was allowed a panel speech. Broadly though, the single-sex campaign were just worn down by having to win over and over again, the Maastricht principle again.

  10. Milan | 8 June 2006 12:41 pm

    Antonia and jdc,

    Thank you for the further info.

    “been missing your blog”

    It’s still in the same old spot, http://www.sindark.com
    I’ve just changed the RSS feed. Now, it’s http://www.sindark.com/feed/

  11. Herman | 8 June 2006 4:41 pm

    I guess the girls of St Hilda’s just want a bit of cock

  12. Antonia | 8 June 2006 6:12 pm

    Of course, Herman. That’s what it’s all about.

  13. jdc | 8 June 2006 7:43 pm

    A tiny little bit Herman, I’d get round there, start them off with something small until they get used to it.

  14. Paul | 11 June 2006 9:59 am

    St Mary’s in Durham, St Hilda’s in Oxford - how many women-only HE institutions are there left?

  15. ms. b. | 11 June 2006 7:26 pm

    Newnham, New Hall and Lucy Cavendish (mature students only) in Cambridge

    I don’t think it’s ‘almost everyone’, Milan, I think it’s about half and half.

    I think Newnham is about half and half direct applicants and applicants from the pool. Hence having to deal with women who, once offered a place here unexpectedly, ask our JCR questions like “is it really full of lesbians?”.

    I’d say yes, if it puts ‘em off they shouldn’t be here anyway!

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