Women and Education

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Women and Education

An education holds significance to many people for a variety of reasons. For some, it may be the route to a desired career or just the next step after high school. For others, attending a university is a way to increase their awareness of other viewpoints through the exposure to the diverse culture represented on a campus. In evaluating the value and significance of my own education, I reflected on the education of the women of the 19th century. Their outlook on education is somewhat different than ours today because of the fact that it was difficult and rare to be an educated woman during this period. Today we posses the freedom to pursue almost any field available. However, in some instances we face lower salaries and in some cases less respect than men with the same training. Only 16% of college and university presidents and 25% of chief academic officers are women. Chief business officers are 13% women. We must educate and prove ourselves so that our daughters experience greater opportunities than we do as we experienced more than our ancestors because of their hard work.

The female gender throughout early history has been characterized as a homekeeper. They were not the bread bearers of the family partially because work was dominated by manual labor. Men were naturally more suited to these jobs due to their superior strength. As time progressed, business progressed. A successful business began to rely on brain power instead of muscle power. Women can participate in this type of work just as efficiently as men. Unfortunately, many of the men and women of this period were reluctant to change the long tradition of women remaining in the home. Therefore, the development of women’s le...

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... with expressions of deference” while the “avenues to which stand ever wide open, yawning like the gates of hell.” To be forced into a day to day activity devoid of you interest is similar to a prison sentence. The frustration of possessing passion for something unreachable fueled the rebellion of the women insisting on making education available.

Through my research into the history of developing education for women and making it acceptable, I have come to appreciate it on a different level. My education is not only a result of my hours of studying, but of the people throughout many decades who suffered without the same opportunities I have and faced constant criticisms to do what they choose. What I take away from this university is one of the only things you can count on, knowledge. Knowledge that allows me the freedom to do whatever I choose in life.

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