Curfews in halls and hardly any women: What Birmingham Uni was like in the 1950s

The Tab Birmingham interviewed Annette German, a female student at UoB in the 1950s, to find out more about how UoB has changed in the past 70 years.

In 2022, UoB has got a majority of female students (58%), but this is only recent. In the 1950s there were hardly any female students in Birmingham, since only 1.2% of women went to university itself in the 1950s.

Annette read History at the University of Birmingham in the late fifties, graduating in 1960. In History, there was a balance with 16 men and 16 women. She says that, although. there was some sexist language, such as ‘Freshman’, rather than what we use now, known as ‘fresher’, she never felt there was any discrimination against her.

Annette told The Birmingham Tab that she got extremely lucky going to UoB since some friends later told her they were not allowed to go to university because their parents didn’t believe that university education was a needed prospect for girls.

It seems the main reason many people come to uni these days, especially UoB, is to have some freedom. However, this wasn’t always the case in the 1950s because you became an adult at 21, rather than 18. That means there was no freshers fun, in fact there were severe rules in halls. You had to sign out every evening and the door was locked at 10:45pm every night, except on a Saturday, which was at 12.15pm, and you were only allowed to stay out past that twice a term!

Annette also told Birmingham Tab how there was a similar situation to the COVID-19 pandemic during her time at UoB. Whilst studying at UoB, Annette and fellow students had to suffer through the Asian flu epidemic.

Just like COVID, if you caught this flu you were put in isolation, but Annette told us how you would have to isolate in the warden’s quarters, but she was quickly forgotten and was provided no food or drink, and she was too weak and survived on tap water from the bathroom.

Even back then there were still societies to join at UoB, but of course no where near as many as there are now. Annette told the Birmingham Tab how she was part of The Guild Theatre Group. In the Spring term 1958 and she got the lead in ‘An Inspector Calls’. The Birmingham Guild Theatre Group are still meeting up regularly in London for lunches to this day.

One of UoB’s main appeals is its beautiful campus, filled with a mixture of redbrick and modern buildings. However, this hasn’t always been the case, in fact in the 1950s UoB wasn’t even considered a campus uni, as all Arts based subjects were based in the city centre.

Annette emphasised that she had a very exciting and active time in Birmingham. So, some things don’t change!

Related stories recommended by this writer

•Birmingham Uni charges students £10 to replace ID cards, but they only cost £1.73 to make

•Here are some tips to reduce energy bills this winter

•Birmingham UCU is balloting members on further strike action