As the Generation UCL project marks 130 year of Students’ Union UCL, we are pleased to publish this blog by Sophie Ho, originally submitted as a piece of coursework for The Worlds of UCL: Critical Histories of Education, Nation and Empire, a first-year module that explores UCL’s history.
It’s hard to imagine UCL without the Students’ Union, the representative student body and fundamental heart of the university. Yet, that was the experience of the first female students at UCL in the late nineteenth century, who were effectively barred from the all-male Union Society until the founding of the Women’s Union Society (WUS) in 1897. Using an excerpt from the 1918 UCL Union Magazine celebrating the WUS’ 21st anniversary, we will dive back in time to consider the formation and significance of the WUS and women students’ experiences at university.
As I read about the WUS, I couldn't help but feel extremely grateful for the opportunities that female students like me have today. Access to all degrees and societies, equal treatment from lecturers, and free rein over campus are only a few of the privileges that I have taken for granted. Whilst a source of pride, the fact that UCL was the first university in Britain to admit women on (almost) equal terms to men also made me diminish my blissful unawareness: How nice! Surely this means women students had a wonderful time at UCL since the very start? Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Women in lectures
Studying at university in an era that purposefully excluded you for your gender was by no means easy, let alone ‘wonderful’. Admittedly, lectures were offered to women from the 1860s following the creation of the London Ladies’ Educational Association, with Henry Morley and Carey Fosters as the first UCL professors to do so. However, this was still quite limited, as women were 1) initially not allowed inside college premises, 2) not allowed to sit for degrees, and 3) taught separately from men. It was John Elliott Cairnes, a Professor of Political Economy, that organised the first coeducational class at a British university in 1871. Despite his reasoning of health issues that prevented him teaching the same class twice, Cairnes’ successors continued this coeducational approach, eventually followed by other UCL departments, marking a turning point in female student emancipation. Women could take degrees from 1878.
Rosa Morison and the WUS
Another key individual who promoted the status of women students was Rosa Morison, a pioneer of the women’s suffrage movement at UCL. Throughout her appointment as first Lady Superintendent of Women Students (1883-1912), Morison advocated for the provision of a reading-room and founded a Reading Room Society for women students. Morison also played an instrumental role in the founding of the WUS in 1897, and served as President until 1908, alongside elected representatives across UCL faculties.
Formed in response to the all-male Union Society established in 1893, which denied women access to the social and intellectual heart of student life at UCL (Debates? Sports? Socials? Nope, not if you’re a woman!), the WUS was a significant milestone. It sought to provide female students with a platform that combatted such inequality and promoted their welfare and interests, with its primary affairs including the continuation of various club activities such as the Tea Club, the improvement of sports facilities, and the organisation of social activities—in which ‘Women’s at Home’, first held at a Foundation Week in 1908, became one of the most famous events.
Hope on the horizon?
From encountering trouble in finding athletic facilities, to the curtailing of peace-time activities during the war, the journey to emancipation was far from smooth sailing after the WUS’ establishment. Both Union Societies faced extremely difficult circumstances following the onset of the First World War in 1914, accompanying falling subscriptions and a lack of interest in society activities. However, one positive that arose from the inter-war period was improved relations between the two Unions, after the realisation that they had similar aims and principles, as well as increased co-operation in organising activities under the Inter Union Standing Committee.
In April 1946, the Union Society and the WUS merged to form the joint UCL Union, which is still the representative body for UCL students today. The former Vice-President of the WUS, Hannah Steinberg, one of the most well-known people at UCL, took on the role as Acting President of the new Union during its transition. Thus, a new era of student life began.
Some reflections
After careful reading of the source, researching online for supporting sources, and adventures in the Main Library reference section, the more I learned, the more I realised just how significant a union was for a university student. A students’ union is absolutely pivotal to a student’s university life, holding the power to enhance their lives with unforgettable memories and experiences that a wholly academic-focused education would not provide.
While the WUS no longer exists as a separate union, this source’s celebration of its 21st anniversary is an unforgettable reminder of the female narrative throughout the history of UCL. After all, its legacy manifests in the form of the countless rights and opportunities available for women students today, both at UCL and across the world—and it is vital that we hold this close to our hearts.
Want to learn more?
Brewis G, Hannan K. ‘The worlds of UCL: Teaching, learning and institutional histories’. London Review of Education. 2023. Vol. 21(1):12
Harte, N. and North, J. (1991). The World of UCL, 1828-1990. Rev. ed. London: UCL Press.
Harte, N., North, J. and Brewis, G. (2018). The World of UCL. 4th ed. London: UCL Press.
UCL (2018). Women, Economics and UCL in the late 19th Century. [online] UCL Department of Economics. Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/economics/about-department/women-economics-and-ucl-late-19th-century.