Celebrating and empowering women

On 8th March, we will celebrate International Women's Day. It's about recognising women's achievements, past and present, while also acknowledging how far there is still to go. It's a day for celebrating progress, embracing women's voices, and reminding ourselves why representation, access, and equality matter.

The University of London has been breaking barriers for women for a long time. From writers and activists to artists and reformers, these women didn't just get degrees, they changed the world.

Being the first uni in the UK to allow women to sit exams, it opened doors that had been firmly closed. Since then, women from its campus' have gone on to shape literature, politics, science, art, and social movements around the world.

Here are just a few women whose time studying in London helped kick-start legacies: 

Virginia Woolf

Long before she became a literary icon, she studied at King's College London. Her writing reshaped modern fiction and feminist thoughts, and her work is still studied, quoted and debated today. Woolf is proof that student ideas can grow beyond the classroom.

Emily Wilding Davision

Probably one of the most notable names today for women, she studied at Royal Holloway and became one of the most recognisable figures in the suffrage movement. Her activism helped secure voting rights for women in the UK, making a reminder that social change often starts with people will to be loud and brave.

Marie Stopes

A graduate of UCL, Stopes played a major role in changing conversations around contraception and reproductive health. Her work sparked global debates and continues to influence discussions about bodily autonomy and women's healthcare.

Why International Women's Day still matters

It isn't just about looking back - it's about recognising the systems still need changing and the voices that deserve more space. These women used education as a tool for impact, turning opportunity into influence.

As students today, it's worth remembering that the spaces we learn in have helped shape movements, challenge norms and change history - and they still can.