50 Years of Women at King's

1972 Matriculation Photo
Matriculation photo from 1972

In 2022 King’s marked the 50th anniversary of the admission of women to the College as undergraduate students. Alongside Clare and Churchill, King’s was the first of the Cambridge all-male Colleges to admit women, in 1972.

It was a landmark decision for the College; but King’s has always supported women’s education at Cambridge. In a University vote in 1920 that rejected the proposal to make women students members of the University, King’s had a substantial majority of its Fellows in favour. When in 1948 the University at last produced a majority vote in favour of Girton and Newnham becoming full Colleges and their students full members, it was two Fellows of King’s (Richard Braithwaite and Kenneth Harrison) who led the initiative. And when New Hall, now Murray Edwards, was inaugurated in 1954, King’s was the College that made the largest financial contribution. 

In November 1968 the College’s Council considered a paper prepared by the JCR recommending co-education at King’s, which noted that "We have presented our case for Co-Education in terms of ‘social justice’, but we maintain that in any case substantial social and academic benefits will accrue from this change." When the Provost, Edmund Leach, put forward the proposal to admit women to the College’s Governing Body in May 1969, the Fellowship voted overwhelmingly in favour. It took a further three years to complete preparations, but in 1972, 47 female students were admitted out of a total of 452, as well Fellows including Tess Adkins, who in 1981 would become the first female Senior Tutor of a previously all-male Cambridge College.

Marking the Anniversary

The 50th anniversary of the admission of women is an opportunity to look at the impact of King’s women and how they trailblaze, innovate and deliver in myriad ways, as well as to look at what still needs to be done to address inequalities in higher education. Over the coming months we are organising a series of events to mark the anniversary, and to celebrate the women of King’s – alumnae, students and staff – who make our community so remarkable.

Upcoming Events

Latest Event

Equality & Diversity in Football: A Conversation with Anna Kessel, Ceylon Hickman &Tatiana Kasujja

In 1921 the Football Association of England imposed a ban on women’s football, stating its belief that the game was “quite unsuitable for females”. The ban remained in place for half a century before being lifted in 1971, but another 50 years on, there is still much progress to make. Even following the Lionesses’ achievements at Euro 2022, the vast majority of women and girls still don’t have access to the national game, and despite the incredible contributions made by Black athletes, diversity in sport remains a considerable issue. Listen to sportswriter and…

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