From 1872 to 2022: 150 Years of YSJ Alumnae (Part One)

Although not discussed explicitly, this blog contains references to issues that people may find difficult to read. This includes: overt sexism, death in childbirth, death through disease, homophobia, racism, financial control and abuse; and abuse within marriage.

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At York St John University, we hold a variety of interesting objects from our past, including books, photos and blazers. In our first International Women’s Day 2022 blog, we referenced one of the fascinating books in our collection: Ripon Training College 1862-1962: The first hundred years. Written by A M Wilkinson, in just 102 pages Wilkinson covers Ripon College’s first 100 years.

In this blog we’re going to do something similar: 150 years of women at YSJ, from 1872 to 2022. We’ll be looking at life for women at what would become York St John University in 50 year intervals:

• 1872 when Ripon College was a well-established training facility
• 1922, a general election year
• 1972, a year of fond memories from some of our wider alumni community
• 2022, the York St John of today.

1872: A Man’s World

In 1872, St John’s had no women on its academic staff and no women in its student body. In fact, it wasn’t until 1945 that a woman joined St John’s academic staff. But in 1872, the only women on campus were wives, or domestic staff.

Ripon College was a different story. In 1872 the college was a reputable training institution for women to work at and to attend. But it was run by a man who was paid nearly triple that of the highest paid woman. It would take a further 58 years for Ripon College to gain its first woman principle.

In Wilkinson’s book, they provide a list of the academic staff in 1867 and their wages:

• Principal Rev. Baynes Badcock, earning £250 a year
• Lady Superintendent Mrs Sheffield, earning £60 a year
• Head Governess Miss Taylor, earning £60 a year
• Second Governess Miss Mustard, earning £56 a year
• Third Governess Miss Wall, earning £43 a year
• Head of the Practicing School Mrs Trinder, earning £90.

By 1872, the staff might have changed slightly, but it’s unlikely that the pay inequality had improved. Although Rev Badcock completed important work for Ripon College, it was the women who completed most of the day-to-day instruction, for a lesser wage. In effect, although Ripon College trained women to be teachers, it was still very much a ‘man’s world’ where they could only aspire to earn a fraction of a man’s wage.

Domestic duties

Unlike the students at St John’s, the women in Ripon completed far more work. Alongside their academic studies, they were responsible for most of the college’s domestic work. This included washing their own clothes, cleaning their rooms and scrubbing the floors. Although seemingly similar to a modern-day student’s household work, in 1872 Ripon’s students had no labour-saving solutions. They also had no choice as to when they completed their domestic work and were expected to follow a rigorous all-day timetable too.

Ripon’s students led very regimented lives. The college resembled more of a boarding school with limited freedoms than a place for adults to learn. In 1872, students had no opportunity to specialise and learn outside of their strict curriculum. They had no choice as to what or when they ate. They also had no choice about when they exercised, when they attended church, or what they studied.

But, change was on the horizon. In 1873, Ripon’s students enjoyed a slightly more varied diet when fruit pies were introduced on Sundays. Even better in 1874, their domestic duties were lessened. Some of the harder duties, like scrubbing the stone steps, were removed from their timetable. But this didn’t mean those duties were no longer done. Instead those tasks would have increased the workload of Ripon’s working-class domestic staff who already laboured for unfair wages. 

A career?

After passing their exams, most of Ripon’s graduates taught in elementary schools. In Ripon’s first three years, 151 teachers were trained with 122 going on to teach in elementary schools. Those who didn’t teach in schools, but weren’t one of the five alumnae who died, probably either got married, found jobs in other educational settings, or became governesses. Another path was open to some of our early alumnae: teaching at Ripon College itself.

In 1872, Mary Elizabeth Goodacre started her teacher training at Ripon College aged 19. After completing her studies, Mary was invited to become Ripon’s Third Governess. Mary would then go on to dedicate her life to the college; within her first 11 years at Ripon she was promoted to become First Governess. Later in her career, she cared for day students and become the Head for the non-Anglican hostel. She also became Ripon’s newly formed alumni association secretary. Surprisingly for the time, Mary also completed a degree by distance from St Andrew’s University, highlighting her academic credentials.

Marriage

However, in 1872, there might have been a Queen on the throne, but there wasn’t so much of a glass ceiling as a concrete one. Whilst Queen Victoria might have above the ceiling, Ripon’s graduates were firmly held beneath it.

Many of Ripon’s graduates swapped the schoolroom for the home, never to return. Legislation and societal pressure prevented married women from working in specific roles, especially professional ones. If the Class of 1872 got married, they faced the dangers of childbirth with poor sanitation and little ability to family plan. Until the mid-1850s, women had no option for pain relief during childbirth. But even in 1872, pain relief was not always available due to financial or moral constraints. In 1872, many women still died in childbirth, a danger all of Ripon’s alumnae would have been wary of.

However, for the women who remained unmarried, they faced an uncertain future. Without the dubious protection of a husband and wider family, women faced a precarious old-age. If they hadn’t saved enough for a good pension, they faced destitution. This danger would further compounded for women who were part of the LGBTQ+ community and women of colour who faced further scrutiny by Victorian society.

Women’s rights

By 1872 women were beginning to gain some rights. The recent 1870 Married Women’s Property Act allowed married women to keep their own money. But it was only in 1882 that married women gained full control over all of their property.

In 1872, Ripon’s graduates faced a long road to equal rights. In 1915, Mary Goodacre died after dedicating her life to teaching other women, and through them, generations of children. She was 62 and like most of her cohort, Mary died having never experienced:

• The ability to vote for her MP
• Equal career opportunities
• Equal pay for her work
• The ability to open a bank account
• The ability to hold property on equal terms with men

Whilst men didn’t gain full voting rights until 1918, the Class of 1872 from St John’s faced considerably fewer infringements on their lives. They could expect wages high enough to support an entire family and immediate societal respect. They also had far more legal protections and rights than Ripon’s graduates. As men, many would never complete the basic domestic work expected of Ripon’s graduates. As men, none would be expected to give up their career when they got married like their female counterparts.

1922: The Fight for Rights Continues

Fifty years later, in 1922, a lot had changed for women. For Ripon students, life was less regimented; more non-academic activities were allowed and a number of societies were launched, including musical and drama societies. Students also had more personal freedom. This included the opportunity to go on local excursions and visit Ripon unchaperoned, something which was unthinkable in 1872.

Ripon’s Class of 1922 faced a world on the cusp of great change. In 1917, the Board of Education issued its first minimum salary requirements for teachers. Records show that by 1919, a woman’s average teaching salary was £123 a year, and a man’s £167 a year. Compared to the wages of Ripon’s staff in the 1870s, this was an improvement, and suggested a benchmark that valued both the profession and the women within it. However, like 50 years earlier, a woman was still expected to be paid less in the same role.

However, in 1922 women could continue working as teachers after marriage. The 1919 Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act allowed married women to work in professional roles for the first time. It also allowed women to enter specific professions, like law. Nevertheless, whilst the act made it legal for married women to continue working in professional capacities, it didn’t entitle them to keep their jobs.

Many industries and workplaces kept ‘marriage bars’ forcing women to resign when they got married, including some schools. Some married teachers took their schools to court for dismissing them, but despite the 1919 Act, they lost their cases. The law had been updated, but it would be several years until so-called ‘marriage bars’ were ended and it became commonplace for married women to teach.

Votes for women?

Both Ripon and York had active societies for women’s suffrage. In 1913, ‘Miss Tyler’ of Ripon Training College was made secretary of the Ripon branch of the NUWSS (Suffragists). The 1911 census lists just one Miss Winifred Louise Tyler in Ripon, aged 29. Due to her age, this suggests that Miss Tyler was likely a member of staff at Ripon College.

By 1922, although Ripon graduates could theoretically vote and work after getting married, for many, reality would be very different. Although some women were granted the right to vote, universal suffrage was still six years away at the 1922 general election. For most of the staff and students at Ripon College, voting was still impossible. As staff and students, they were either too young to vote, or too poor.

To put that into perspective, any alumnus from St John’s could vote. But a 40 year old teacher from Ripon with no property would be unable to do so. For the young and working class students at Ripon College, very little had changed regarding their voting rights.

Rights and discrimination

Moreover, although legislation had been repealed, in 1922 Ripon’s alumnae faced a workplace that would expel them for getting married. But, marriage itself was also changing. Since 1872 several laws had been passed to protect women, their children, and their property. But there was still a way to go. It wouldn’t be until 1937 that women could petition for divorce on the same grounds as men, and a culture of domestic drudgery and abuse was still prevalent.

For Ripon’s alumnae who were women of colour, non-Christian women, working-class or part of the LGBTQ+ community, these alumnae faced further discrimination in every day life.  For a Ripon College alumna applying for a role, if they were anything other than white and middle-class, they faced more discrimination than just their gender.

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From 1872 to 1922, a lot had changed but there was still a long road ahead to anything resembling gender equality. Although women had been campaigning for rights, they still faced inequality in every day life. For our Ripon College alumnae, many lived their entire lives without ever having a taste of the limited equality available in 1922.

In our next post, 150 years of women at YSJ: 1972-2022, find out whether in 2022, things have changed as much as we’d like to believe. Plus, view our blog sources for both posts.