Women's rowing has come a long way - and will soon take the final step to equality.
Originally women were not even allowed to race against each other at the same time – they were judged on their time and style, separately. They even had to wear pinafores while doing it.
Julie Hogg, Alumni Officer for both the Cambridge University Boat Club and Cambridge University Women’s Boat Club.
This weekend the top female crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, for the last time, took part in the University Boat Race on a separate day and separate stretch of river from their male counterparts.
Since the beginnings of the famous Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race women’s participation has had a separate, and often challenging, history.
The first Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race was held in 1829, but it wasn’t until almost 100 years later that women from the University’s took to the river competitively – and even then their race was held intermittently until the mid-1960s.
But the past few years has seen a revolution in its fortunes with sponsorship deals, the promise to move onto the Thames in London, and plans for a new boathouse in Ely all boosting the sport in Cambridge.
Julie Hogg, Alumni Officer for both the Cambridge University Boat Club and Cambridge University Women’s Boat Club, has had a wealth of experience in women’s rowing both in and out of a boat.
Having started coxing while studying for a teaching degree at Homerton College in 1992, she returned for post-graduate studies at King’s College, taking up coxing again for their first crews.
Once her post-graduate studies were over Julie went into teaching and then into a financial job in the city, but always continued coxing.
“I would fit my working life around my coxing, not the other way round,” she admits
“It seems incredible how different from the men’s rowing the women’s has been and how the lack of parity has continued so long. But it is a testament to all those ladies, throughout the years, who have refused to be defined by what others think of them, that they continued throughout it all and we are now looking at a very different state of affairs.”
“Originally women were not even allowed to race against each other at the same time – they were judged on their time and style, separately. They even had to wear pinafores while doing it.”
The wearing of shorts by female rowers at Cambridge was only allowed once a brave female student, in the early 1950s, put on a pair and ‘rowed’ around the principal’s office in Newnham College, perched on a stool, in order to demonstrate their propriety.
Challenges continued throughout the 20th century. In the 1960s, as the race was reviving after flagging in previous years, attacks from some quarters branded female rowing a “ghastly sight, an anatomical impossibility and physiologically dangerous.”
But there was enough support for it to continue and, once most colleges became co-ed in the 1970s the race’s future was secured. Despite that inequalities remained – a major one being a lack of sponsorship for the female rowers.
Julie says: “Without it rowers have to pay their own away. It was about £1,500 for a woman to be part of the squad – that’s a big investment with no guarantee of rowing in the final race either.
“That did put people off. So when Newton, just two years ago, decided on sponsoring the women’s race at an equal level to the men, it was a huge leap forward. It opens up this incredible opportunity to everyone, shows the world is behind them, and finally puts them on a par with the men.”
Julie points out that the CEO of Newton Investment Management, Helena Morrisey, CBE said in a recent editorial piece in The Telegraph that she hoped the publicity around the 50-50 sponsorship of men and women in the Boat Race would encourage more investment in women’s sport beyond rowing.
“She said it was important for girls to do more in sport as it impacts on health and on careers and in business. We are certainly lucky with our alumni – the men and women who have rowed at this level go on to be very successful and many of them are generous supporters, not just financially but in time and advice given.”
The revolution in the way the public view women’s rowing, and women in sport in general, was aided by the 2012 London Olympics says Julie. “Seeing those women bring in the early gold medals for the country was a huge boost,” she adds.
Another positive for all rowers, but women especially, has been the plans for a new boat house facility in Ely and the improvements already made at the Goldie boathouse in Cambridge which have given female rowers a base for the first time.
Julie, who is based next to the River Cam, says: “I’m very lucky to be working from Goldie. I have a beautiful view of the river and Midsummer Common and am surrounded by all this history. The women alumni visiting say this is a huge bonus for them as they now have a place they can say is a focus for what they did. The land-training facilities here for both the men and women are excellent and, when the Ely facility is built, we can have similar excellence available to our women for their on-the-water-training.”
That new facility will give the women something stronger too – a sense of the history of the race says Julie, as she sits in the Captain’s Room which is lined with boards listing all the male crews since the first race back in 1829: “There are so many memories and moments in this room. I tell the crews that, when they place their hands on the oar before the start of the race it is not just them in the boat. They are joined by everyone who has gone before – and this room is testament to that long history.”
Taking on Varsity rowing is not an easy choice and is a huge commitment says Julie: “It is a tough race for anyone. You have to admire anyone for taking it on and particularly these students. Many if not all of the women’s crew are undergraduates, fitting in their hours of rowing around their degrees.”
Julie adds that despite the commitment most do very well: “In fact I think it helps you perform. You have to be extremely focused and organised. The skills you learn help you in your studies and in later life.”
This year's race is special says Julie, the last time women in the Blue boat have had to race away from the Tideway on a shorter course than the men. But next year will be even better: “It is long overdue and will be truly historic and very welcome. They will race on the same day, the same bit of river, and in the same weather conditions as the men for the first time. The anticipation is enormous.”