February

Word Day of Social Justice is held annually on 20th February. Social Justice is a core value of the University: in fact, it underpins our world view. We embrace equality, diversity, inclusion, respect and supporting our communities, and we believe in opportunities and access being open to all and on a fair basis.

World Day of Social Justice aims to help us recognise that, despite all the progress we have made as human beings, many barriers prevent millions of people from living a fair life. Each year, World Day of Social Justice highlights a different theme, encouraging global action to tackle social and economic injustices.

In 2026, the theme “Renewed Commitment to Social Development and Social Justice” reflects both recognition of progress achieved and acknowledgement of persistent and emerging challenges.

The institution now named Queen Margaret University was established as the Edinburgh School of Cookery in 1875. This institution emerged in a period that was notable for real economic progress, but also characterised by many social and economic divisions and inequalities, and widespread poverty. The School was established as a voluntary effort to address two key problems facing society at the time:

(1) To provide educational opportunities for women. The institution’s founders were part of the U.K-wide mid Victorian “Women’s Movement”, which was a campaign for better education and improved career opportunities for females.

A main element of this campaign was directed at securing equality of opportunity for school girls, but another purpose was to open up post-school education at both university and technical levels.

To this point, young women had been excluded from higher and technical education, with an inevitable consequence being widespread female poverty.

One of the key leaders of the women’s movement was Queen Victoria’s fourth daughter, Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, and she became the School’s leading patron.

(2) The need to bring about an improvement in diets, particularly the diets of working class families