Education

Before the labor movement and the opportunities that the two world wars opened up, there were few positions considered suitable 'women's work'. Lower class women generally worked in factories. But work for middle class women was very different.
 

Education was not an issue for the lower class of society, and especially not for girls. But many middle class parents educated their daughters- though it was a very basic and limited education. And it was these slightly more educated women that went on to teach, even though they themselves knew very little.
 

Private day and boarding schools for girls were set up in London from 1848, though at this time it was generally considered that girls had little use for an education. And this was partially true- without proper, complete education's (as males got), women had very little chance of a career or the holding of any real power. Most women who were educated went on to become teachers, governess', or special servants in rich households (eg. a companion for an elderly woman).
 

Some families believed it not important to educate their daughters as they were just going to marry them off anyway. A woman should be educating herself to be a good wife. And while this did make sense at the time, it was a shame that this was all most women were considered good for.
 

In the beginning, girls were only educated from twelve years of age, and in limited subjects that covered very little maths or science. Gradually the range and level of the work increased though, and as one generation of women learned more and more, the next would benefit.

In the mid 19th century a university education was absolutely out of the question for a woman- it was not even considered an option.Women were restricted from being things like doctors and lawyers anyway. It was women like Sophia Jex-Blake, who pushed to be accepted into medical school for over ten years and finally enrolled in 1877, who were among the first women to fight hard for their right to be fully educated and as qualified as a man for more demanding and higher paying jobs.
 

Over the next hundred years education for girls gradually improved, but they were still seen as second priority to male children of the family (justifiably if you consider the society and opportunities), and after women left school there was rarely an opportunity for further education. Even in the mid 1900's most girls left school at age 14 or 15, and if they were not needed in the home then took basic courses such as short hand, and later typing, which would prepare them for basic secretarial work.
 

During the second half of the 20th century, more and more women began staying on at school to fully finish, and more and more women, especially those who would have never have been able to afford the luxury of further education 50 years back, were entering universities to do a wide range of degrees.
 

This meant that women were prepared for different kinds of skilled work that had never been open to them before. Even now though there are many more men in higher paying jobs.
 

Our generation may perhaps be the one to tip this gross imbalance however. School results indicate that girls generally work at a much higher level than boys, achieving much higher results. Better results means a higher University entrance score, and therefore more access to exclusive courses. While cost can still sometimes be an issue, girls are not at a higher disadvantage- most parents consider their daughter's education just as vital as their son's. And as this generation move through university and into the workplace, they will also move up the 'corporate ladder', with women gaining more and more higher managerial positions.