Sir – Maria Prochaska (Opinion, May 1), in celebrating Oxford women, might also have mentioned that the philosophers Mary Midgley and Philippa Foot were undergraduates at Somerville in “the all-female era”, as was another philosopher, Mary Warnock, at Lady Margaret Hall. And many more exceptionally gifted women could be mentioned.
Ann Spokes Symonds (Letters, May 1) is, of course, quite right to point out that co-education has existed in Oxford since Somerville and Lady Margaret Hall opened in 1879. What finally happened 40 years ago was indeed co-residence, something for which Mary Warnock argued in a piece in Oxford Magazine in 1972.
Warnock was at that time a research fellow at LMH but resident at Hertford, where her husband, Geoffrey, had been appointed Principal in 1971.
Hertford was duly one of the first colleges to establish co-residence, now present throughout and which has led to significant increases in the number of women academics across the university, though, unlike undergraduate numbers, parity with the men has yet to be achieved.
Bruce Ross-Smith, Headington
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article