When Abby Hoffman tried to enter Hart House in 1966 she was promptly thrown out. Her crime? She was a woman trying to enter what was then the sole domain of men. Hart House did not open its doors to women until 1972. To celebrate how far we’ve come, the Status of Women office is holding events in honour of the 120th anniversary of women at U of T.

The celebration is to run from Feb. 23-March 13. Events are to be held by a variety of U of T groups. These include women-only hours at the Athletic Centre, free heart clinics, a cooking class at the Women’s Centre, a reading by novelist Barbara Gowdy at UTSC, a women’s historical tour of the St. George Campus, cabaret and a lecture series featuring outstanding women scholars at U of T.

In organizing the event, the Status of Women office aimed to represent a variety of interests. “Women’s issues are not in one area alone,” said Status of Women officer Connie Guberman. “We want women in all their diversity to be represented.”

U of T opened its doors in 1827. Women did not gain entrance until 1877 and then only to Victoria College. Despite this opportunity, women still encountered many barriers within the university.

As graduate studies in the arts weren’t common, most women turned to the sciences for further education. Having their work taken seriously was another matter. One woman who graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1903 couldn’t find a job in her field. She was instead ushered into a teaching position in Household Sciences, a euphemism for home economics.

Another example of discrimination came in 1931. The provincial government began an investigation to identify how many married women were employed by U of T. The report was intended to see if these women were taking jobs from men.

Since that time, advances have been made. In 1984 only 13.6 per cent of women were professors while in 2004 that number had increased to 28 per cent. Women have also made progress in such formerly male-only programs such as engineering and physics. More research has been dedicated to women, including gender studies and in science.

While these steps are important, Guberman pointed out that the anniversary should also serve as a reminder that more work needs to be done. “We’ve made incredible progress at U of T. Fifty-seven per cent of undergraduates are women,” said Guberman. “But people think that because the numbers are high, women have reached equality.”

Women still face disadvantages in society at large. Cultural challenges exist. It also takes longer for women to pay off their university loans, partly because a larger proportion of part-time workers are female.

“Women do have access to the same opportunities [at U of T] but because of socialization there are barriers still in life,” said Guberman. “There is no overt discrimination but we do have to live with a legacy of inequality.”

Guberman hopes that the timing of the anniversary, on the heels of U of T’s 175th anniversary, will be opportune in sparking awareness. “It seemed like an important moment in U of T history,” she said. “We have been committed to equity. Now is the time when there is so much potential for change.”