Education for Girls

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  • Created by: Ruth
  • Created on: 10-05-10 18:55

Few girls went to school between 1760-1870 because of;

  • The attitude of Parents
  • The attitude of men & women
  • Women were second class citizens

The Attitude of Men & Women

  • Many men did not want to educate women
  • Many people thought that women had smaller brains and were less intelligent
  • Many women did not want an education
  • Married wealthy women led a life of luxury – all their needs provided
  • Poor women were more bothered about putting food on the table

The Attitude of Parents

  • Parents did not see the point in educating girls
  • Poor parents could not afford fees & wanted children to work
  • Wealthy parents wanted to protect their girls from the outside world

Women were second class citizens

  • The law did not protect women in the early 1800s
  • When a girl was married all her property & earnings belonged to her husband
  • A husband was allowed to beat his wife to make her obedient
  • If divorced, a woman had limited rights to see her children
  • It was very difficult to get a divorce – even if the husband treated her badly

Attitude towards rich women in the 1800s

  • Women should not think for themselves, voice their opinions, disagree with their husbands or seek to better themselves
  • Women should do whatever their husband says
  • Women were not equal to their husbands in any way
  • There seemed no point in educating them, because their future role as a wife did not require knowledge of Latin & Greek for example

Miss Frances Buss

  • Bedford college was opened in 1849 to teach girls to be governesses
    • Miss Buss was one of the first students at Bedford College
  • She became the headmistress of the North London Collegiate School
  • The school taught girls academic subjects & practical skills (so girls could earn a living when they left

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