Degrees of change: the fight for women’s education at The University of Manchester

23 Feb 2026

Our new showcase, ‘Degrees of Change: the fight for women’s education at The University of Manchester’, is on display at Main Library from Monday, 23 February 2026.

The showcase brings together items from our University Heritage Collections and donated archives to create a broadly chronological narrative of the long struggle for women to gain access to, and equal participation in, education at The University of Manchester. 

Reflecting the social, economic and political pressures of the time, our show cases will highlight the origins of The University of Manchester itself, including the restrictions preventing women from accessing higher education at Owens College. Once women were admitted for education, these pioneers nevertheless remained in separate spheres, even taking classes on different premises. The breaking down of remaining gender barriers, the rise of feminist activism, and of representation for women of colour, will be highlighted in our final show case, regarding the fight for equality in the 20th century.   

There will be heritage tours for the ‘Degrees of Change’ showcase on Monday, 9 March, (12pm - 1pm) and Tuesday, 10 March (1pm – 2pm), where you learn more about the history of women’s education at Manchester. 

The showcase runs from February – July 2026, at Blue Ground in Main Library. Entry is free.