Emerging in the 1960s, the Women’s Liberation Movement (WLM) brought together women, who were living during a time of rapid social and cultural change. These changes made them question the conditions of their lives, their roles at work and their relationships.
To mark International Women’s Day on the 8th March, this blog explores the impact of the WLM on the students and staff at Swansea University, and celebrates those who chose to challenge their role in society and fought for equality and women’s rights.
In early 1970, the University College of Swansea Students’ Union called for the College to respect the principle of ‘autonomy’ in the halls of residence, namely Beck Hall (the all female hall of residence). Perhaps influenced by the emerging WLM, a group of female students at Beck Hall voted to abolish all regulations that were in force there and commenced strike action. In response, the University College suspended the studies of some of the women and ‘ordered them to leave immediately after they refused to sign a declaration that would accept the Hall’s regulations.’ (Dr Sam Blaxland, Swansea University in a Post-War World, 1945-2020, p.167). The events were reported in a special edition of the Students’ Union newspaper, Crefft:-
The strike continued for two weeks with an estimated 95 percent of students no longer attending lectures in support of the strike. Eventually the University College ‘retracted its suspension of the women students…and the college agreed to set up enquiries to investigate some of the students’ concerns.’ (Sam Blaxland, p.169). Despite the strike, it appears that Swansea remained, to some extent, relatively conservative. Throughout the 1970s, Beck Hall continued to be a strict place to stay – with curfews and a continuing ‘no boys’ policy. In this clip, past Politics student Jane Simm, who lived at Beck Hall in her first year in 1974/75, describes her memories of Beck Hall and experiencing sexism in the local pub.
Experiences of sexism were not just restricted to social life. In this clip, Janner Herd, who studied Computer Science at Swansea talks about her experience of working as a Maths and Science teacher at Dyffryn Comprehensive School in the 1970s, and how she overcame sexism to overhaul the secondary science curriculum.
By the 1980s, the WLM was gaining traction at Swansea – with the student newspaper Double Take raising more awareness of support networks for women. In 1982 Double Take published a three page article entitled ‘The role of women in today’s society’ to mark International Women’s Day.
In this clip, former University tutor Winkie Williamson discusses her involvement with the Women’s Liberation Movement.
Throughout Swansea University’s history, women have challenged their role in society and fought for gender parity and women’s rights with examples scattered throughout the University archive collections. Talking to Dr Sam Blaxland for the Voices of Swansea University oral history project, Jane Simm said simply ‘It’s rebellion isn’t it….You push boundaries, and it’s better that you push boundaries now’.
To learn more about women’s experiences at Swansea University, please see Dr Jay Rees’ article ‘Bob Baker’s Birds of the Week’: Navigating the Perceptions of Femininity in the Student Press at Swansea University, 1950-1970’ in the 2020 edition of Morgannwg, and her twitter feed @jayrees93.
All interviews by Dr Sam Blaxland, Voices of Swansea University 1920-2020. © Swansea University
Jane Simm (Ref. C0001/53)
Janner Herd (Ref. C0001/09)
Winkie Williamson (Ref. C0001/37)