Virginia Blackburn

IHAVE discovered a subtle and brilliant plan to force women out of the workplace and back into the kitchen and it is happening at our greatest seats of learning. Because there can be no other explanation for what is going on at Oxford and Cambridge. Female students are being undermined in a manner that is so subtle and yet so daring that they are bound to lose what little confidence they have in themselves, which will fatally set them back them in the exam hall and later in the workplace.

Men lost the battle to keep women out of Oxbridge so are resorting to more devious methods instead.

Take Oxford. It has just announced that people will be able to take their history exam papers home with them, the understanding being that women will be able to achieve better grades. The message is clear. The system that has stood Oxford in good stead for the best part of 900 years now has to be dumbed down if women are to make any headway. We just haven’t got the grey matter, have we? That is what Oxford dons appear to be thinking at least.

Cambridge is using equally subtle and divisive techniques and in its case it has had the even more brilliant idea of driving the female of the species out of its hallowed grounds by having a woman front its campaign. Cambridge in its great wisdom is discouraging the fellows (literally) from using terms such as “genius”, “brilliance” or “flair” on the grounds that they alienate female students.

Dr Lucy Delap, who I hope is getting paid very well indeed for her Uncle Tom-like antics, has said: “Vague talk of genius, brilliance