In December of 1983, the College statutes were changed to formally permit the admission of women to Peterhouse. In Michaelmas Term 1984 the first postgraduate women joined the College, with undergraduate women joining from Michaelmas Term 1985. The difference of a year between them was down to a rather mundane and practical reason: the change came too late to be implemented into the undergraduate prospectus until the following year.

The College has held a number of events this year to commemorate the anniversary of this historic change, with more still to come. 

This page will be updated as more events take place in the coming year.

40 Years of Women: Statutes Anniversary Celebration – Saturday 6 April 2024

Alumni, students, fellows and staff gathered to celebrate the anniversary of the changing of the College Statutes. 

Following refreshments in the Master’s Lodge, guests enjoyed a captivating talk by Professor Mari Jones on her research into the Norman languages of the Channel Islands – including many fascinating discoveries that she has made which helped her to produce the first ever Glossary of Channel Island Norman. Attendee and Peterhouse Society Chair Paula Vanninen described how “... [Professor Jones] regaled us in her very engaging and accessible style with her stories. I could have listened to her all evening.”

Petrean Adele Gritten also gave an inspiring talk about her career – including her current role as Chief Executive of Local Partnerships. Students made ample use of the Q&A section afterwards to gain additional insight and careers advice.

Drinks in the Master’s Lodge and dinner in Hall rounded off the event which all in all kicked off our 40 year celebrations perfectly. We were especially delighted to be joined by some of the first women who matriculated at Peterhouse in 1984, and also by Martin Golding, Emeritus Fellow, who was one of the Fellows instrumental in the changing of the statutes. The Master raised a toast at dinner in honour of Dr Saskia Murk Jansen, the late Development Director, Fellow and Tutor of Peterhouse, who played a vital role in this event coming into fruition.

MCR symposium event celebrating graduate women's research – Friday 7 June 2024

MCR committee members organised an inspiring afternoon of events to celebrate Peterhouse’s graduate women's research. This took place on Friday 7 June in College and as part of the wider celebrations marking 40 years since the first women postgraduate formally joined the College in 1984.

A symposium was held in the theatre with fascinating talks on graduate research from our speakers (pictured above). Attendees then enjoyed afternoon tea in the sunshine of the Master’s Lodge garden, followed by a wonderful organ recital in Chapel by Junior Research Fellow Anna Steppler and dinner in Hall.

FemTech and the Women’s Health Gap –  Tuesday 10 September 2024

In September this year, Helen Leung and Frances Myatt (Peterhouse PhD students) organised an event at Cambridge Tech Week entitled 'FemTech and the Women's Health Gap: A Sleeping Giant'. This event brought together 12 leaders from the realms of science, business and policy to discuss the gender health gap. It was inspired by an earlier event celebrating the 40th anniversary of women’s admission to Peterhouse at which both Helen and Frances presented their research.

The collection of speakers brought forth essential insights highlighting the multi-faceted nature of this challenge. Firstly, we discussed clinical and gender health disparities in science and healthcare delivery, with the emphasis on a lack of sex-disaggregated data crucial for advancing the field. Next, the focus shifted to technology and business. Whilst FemTech innovation is growing, there is a disproportionate lack of funding for innovations in this space and an important need for regulation to protect potentially vulnerable consumers and ensure ethical progress. The event concluded with a call for a shift in sociocultural attitudes to break stigmas and drive change in women's healthcare, featuring a popular live poetry reading from Ted Hughes award-winning poet Hollie McNish. Lively discussion continued at a post-event drinks reception hosted in Peterhouse by the Master, Professor Andy Parker, to round off an inspiring afternoon. This gave the opportunity for attendees and speakers to continue the conversations begun during the panels.

Many attendees and speakers said that a particular highlight of the event was the inclusion of a panel on socio-cultural attitudes to women’s health in addition to scientific discussion, with speakers from the Humanities, Social Sciences, and creative arts. Such interdisciplinarity highlights the key role that the University of Cambridge can play in facilitating these vital discussions.

Women at Peterhouse Exhibition

October 2024 - March 2025

As part of the celebrations in College to mark 40 years since women first formally matriculated at Peterhouse in 1984 (graduate) and 1985 (undergraduate), the Library & Archives team have curated an exhibition exploring the history of women at Peterhouse from the foundation up to the present day.

The exhibition is mounted in the display cases at the far end of the reading room and in the flat display case in the Front Hall. On the shelves near the library front desk you will also find a diverse display of books by or about women Petreans; these books are available to borrow to current members.

There will be a special event for alumni on Saturday 14 December 2024 which can be booked by looking at the Petrean Events page.

For those who would like to view the exhibition but do not have access to the Ward Library, please contact library@pet.cam.ac.uk.

Coming soon

Peterhouse Women in Geopolitics – Wednesday 27 November 2024

Peterhouse is very pleased to be hosting an event in collaboration with the Centre for Geopolitics on Wednesday 27 November at 5:30 p.m. This event will highlight and celebrate high-profile Petrean women working in the fields of geopolitics and international relations.

There will be a panel discussion in the Theatre followed by a drinks reception in the Lubbock Room. The panel will be chaired by former Master and BBC Diplomatic Correspondent Bridget Kendall, and will include Suzanne Raine, Phoebe Koundouri, Hannah Mayer, Finn McRedmond, and Sophie Boulter.

Thank you to Professor Brendan Simms (Fellow) for his work in organising this event.

Please book a ticket at the following link: https://buytickets.at/peterhouse