Ewha Womans University announced Wednesday that it is abolishing its 57-year-old policy of prohibiting undergraduate marriages. Ewha authorities explained that the clause had been made in 1946 to protect the education opportunities of its students.

They note however, that now society’s views on higher education of women have changed and that prohibiting married women from receiving an undergraduate education from Ewha could be seen as a form of prejudice. Ewha said that it believed that at the present the subject of marriage could be left to individual students' discretion.

The 'marriage prohibition,' or Article 14 stated that only "un-married woman who have graduated from high school or who have received a similar level of education" were eligible for Ewha matriculation. Also, Article 28 clause four stated that a married undergraduate would be expelled from Ewha by the dean.

The policy had aroused much controversy throughout the years and in December 2002, the matter was even brought to the National Human Rights Commission. (Lee Kyeong-eun, diva@chosun.com )