Highlighting the divide between masculine and feminine environments.

Labs that existed on female-only campuses such as Girton College were frequently not taken as seriously, compared to their co-ed counterparts. Their primary focus was mostly teaching and not as much on research. Women had less opportunity to conduct pioneering research compared to men, especially in the physical sciences (Jones 2009). Parallel science clubs and associations had to be created, as women were not welcome to join and collaborate on main campuses.

As a result, women posed little threat to the labs found in larger institutions like Cambridge. Women were also underprepared when performing research on the main campuses such as Cambridge, as at times they received "lectures for ladies" from the female-only colleges that provided less extensive knowledge and instruction (McMurran and Tattersall 2017). When women were able to prove important experimental results that they had produced, such as potentially in the case of Mary Lyon, they were often praised, but not to the same extent as male researchers who were described as having “rare power and skill” (Jones 2009). It did not matter how successful a woman was in the lab, it was expected that she did not promote this image at all. 

Later on, closer to the mid-20th century Girton College was beginning to gain more of the reputation of providing quality education for women after countless protests and riots.  Female students from Girton College were able to prove their capabilities through writing and excelling on the same exams male students were taking in Cambridge (Jones 2009). However, women were still denied full degrees and received titular titles instead.