WOMEN ’ S EDUCATION THROUGH HISTORY & AROUND THE WORLD
EGYPT :
In ancient Egypt , women enjoyed relatively high status in comparison with other ancient societies . They could own property , work as musicians or professional mourners , and some , like Hatshepsut , even become pharaohs . Hatshepsut ’ s reign from 1486 to 1468 B . C . was a prosperous time for Egypt . Her daughter , Neferure , was thought to have been educated by royal tutors .
GREECE :
In his book A History of Education in Antiquity , H . I . Marrou describes a woman ’ s situation in the ancient Greek warrior state of Sparta :
Their first duty was to produce as many bouncing babies as possible , and all their education was subordinated to this one end .
And even though women were educated in Sparta , schooling did not always include subjects that are today considered to be the essential “ core ” subjects . Marrou continues : The girls too were brought up to be Spartans . Their education was rigidly controlled , with music , dancing and singing occupying a less important place than gymnastics and sport .
ROME :
In ancient Rome it was not uncommon for upper-class women to be educated but , as was the case in ancient Sparta , childrearing was a woman ’ s top priority . Because mothers were expected to raise children to be proper Roman citizens , it was imperative that they have some education to properly instruct their children . Some women learned to read and write , while others became accomplished public speakers , artists , and scribes . However , the point of a Roman woman ’ s education was not her own edification , but rather the benefaction of her family .
MOROCCO :
Many women proved extremely generous patrons of education and the arts , sharing their love of knowledge and culture with their communities . The University of al-Qarawiyyin , located in modern-day Morocco , is the oldest continually operated university in the world . It was established in 859 and still functions today . It is the first educational institution to award degrees . Its founder was Fatima al-Fihri — a woman . Al- Fihri , the daughter of a wealthy merchant , was herself educated .
AZTECS :
Although boys and girls were , educated separately in Aztec society , education was considered universally valuable for both sexes . Parents dedicated their infants to either the calmecac ( house of tears ) or the telpochcalli ( house of youths ). The calmecac focused on religion , with male graduates eventually taking on responsibilities as priests or high officials . Boys who entered the telpochcalli frequently became warriors . House affiliation could depend on preference or talents , but more often matched a family ’ s social standing . Students of the calmecac came from high society , while those of the telpochcalli were of a lower class . There is evidence that the calmecac and telpochcalli may have served as specialized craft schools for boys and girls . Artisanship was vital for Aztec ritual culture .
As adolescents , boys and girls attended the culcacalli ( house of song ) where they learned to sing , dance , and play musical instruments . These talents were integral in the transmission of history , culture , and religion . In this house children were also taught poetry and astrology , which was thought to play a big part in their fate . Women throughout Aztec history gained great fame for their talents in both poetry and music .
TOKUGAWA & MEIJI ERA JAPAN :
In the late 1860s only a meager 10-15 percent of Japanese girls were thought to have any sort of formal schooling . It wasn ’ t until the end of the Tokugawa Era ( 1600-1867 ) that this became possible on a larger scale . Even then , what formal schooling girls did have access to usually related only to the traditional tea ceremony , flower arranging , and etiquette . Several years later in 1872 , during the Meiji Era , the Fundamental Code of Education established a new system in which , regardless of sex , primary education was obligatory . The preamble of the code reads , “ While advanced education is left to the ability and means of the individual , a guardian who fails to send a young child , whether a boy or a girl , to primary school shall be deemed negligent of his duty .”
POLAND :
Marie Curie made history in 1903 when she became the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in physics for her work on radioactivity . But her path to greatness was one strewn with obstacles .
Though she had top marks in secondary school she was barred from continuing her education . Higher education opportunities for women in the Russian Empire and Europe were extremely limited . The University of Warsaw was only open to male students . Consequently , she was forced to take classes at the secret educational enterprise known as the floating ( or flying ) university . The illegal informal “ university ” was open to both men and women and taught sometimes forbidden subjects , like Polish history and Catholicism , among other less taboo courses . Teachers and students were forced to change locations frequently to avoid being arrested by Russian authorities .
Eventually , Curie went on to earn a degree in mathematics and a master ’ s degree in physics . Today several educational institutions are named after her . Amazing , considering she was originally denied access to formal higher education .
UNITED STATES :
According to the U . S . Census Bureau , in 1967 just 8 percent of women 25 years and older held a bachelor ’ s degree or higher . This was compared to 13 percent of men from the same demographic . Since that time , the gap has shrunk significantly . In fact , in 2015 women and men were neck and neck , with men at 32 percent and women at 33 percent .
FALL 2016 JOURNEY OF HOPE | 17