A large bronze gate stands at the old entrance to Newnham College. Today, its elaborate design is kept in good condition. But in 1921, it was almost destroyed. Male students, celebrating the university’s refusal to award women degrees, used a handcart to batter the bottom of it to pieces.

Historically at least then, the women’s colleges stand out as a testament to hope and change. Yet in 2005, St. Mary’s College in Durham finally opened its doors to men. The following year, the governing body of St. Hilda’s, Oxford, voted to end its life as a single-sex institution. Such events lead us to ask: is there still a place for a women’s college in Cambridge?

Many people – including residents of Newnham and Murray Edwards – will say no. In the country as a whole, the achievements of the women’s movements are enshrined in law, and can never now be reversed. In Cambridge, the existence of separate colleges seems to hark back to an era of quite different social norms. Born out of the monastic tradition, Cambridge colleges opposed the presence of women as a matter of course. This preoccupation with chastity still shaped colleges in the 19th century – as any student who has to trek to Girton will know all too well. Religious women today may argue that only single-sex colleges can meet their needs. Yet ultimately, any college can arrange to reserve an accommodation block for women. And arguably, the place for a government-subsidised university is really the secular domain.

Nor do women face the same obstacles as they did in the past. With the invention of the pill, amorous ladies and gentlemen no longer need to be kept apart until the B.A. is in the bag. Amongst their peers at least, female students are an accepted part of the community. With the exception of one or two Old Boys foaming at the mouth, most men advocate a woman’s right to higher education. If I bring up the issue of women’s colleges with my male friends, they often react in the same way: ‘But why? I’m not sexist!’ Finally, however we construct our lives within the bubble of a university town, in the real world men and women have to learn to interact, whether it’s solving problems in an office, or dividing up the household chores.

These are all powerful arguments against women’s colleges, so far as college implies the place where students eat, sleep and socialise. Yet because of the piecemeal way in which Cambridge developed, colleges have other important functions as well. My college, Newnham, isn’t just the longest corridor in Europe. It’s a hub for women, hosting everything from the Feminist Shebang to pudding seminars where female students and academics present their work. It’s a database of contacts for alumnae starting out on their careers – networking lunches are held regularly. And like all colleges, it acts as a crucible for new ideas. On the one hand, it allows undergraduates to discuss women’s issues without being sucked into the contentious feminist vs. male chauvinist debate. On the other, women’s colleges are an important source of funding for female academics. A Times Higher Education study found that in 2000 only 9.8% of UK professorships were held by women. As of 2004-5, women had yet to make up even half of Cambridge post-graduate students. If change is happening, it’s far from complete.

And that is precisely why we should hesitate to pass judgement on this issue. Such places naturally have a culture that is curious about women. And as academic institutions, they allow that curiosity to form the basis for research and analysis.

The controversy of debates concerning women – from the glass ceiling to the burka – suggests that although we have many questions, definitive answers have yet to be produced. And looking at women is relevant in a broader perspective as well. Muhammad Yunus, the pioneer of micro-credit, found that lending specifically to women was the best way to alleviate poverty. In an age where the global population is rapidly expanding, it is surely useful to investigate the link between a woman’s education and the number of children she will have.

Separate colleges for women reflect the social mores of a bygone age. But they also represent important participants in today’s greatest debates. As 21st century students, we inherit a rich legacy of academic research and discussion. 700 years of that, however, was written exclusively by men. Any academic space that focuses on women, however eccentrically organised, is relevant and valuable. At Europe’s best university, it would be foolish to overlook that.