Women's education

There was very little education for women in the 19th century. Women's education was seen as a burden or waste of money. Studying was considered to be bad for women as they were unable to cope with the challenging academic subjects which were seen as only being suitable for men. Education was seen as something which was only required for men, and if a woman wanted to go to school, she was mocked and looked down upon or seen as silly. A women's role in society in that era was to stay at home. At home, the women looked after the children and she was the one who taught the way for her offspring. She was required teach them their roles in life. However, many women were starting to see that they needed some sort of education because they were the ones who raised the children in the home. This meant that many women began to teach themselves so that they could improve their lives and the lives of their offspring. This led to the beginning of all female colleges. These colleges were created to educate the woman and to develop their skills in the home environment.

In 1869, Emily Davies founded Girton College. When she did this,  she was  opposed with the usual response and reaction that had earlier been directed at Cobbe. In 1868, she had observed that the best girls schools are those in which the ‘masculine’ or academic subjects have been introduced. These subjects included Mathematics, Greek and Latin. Emily Davies was convinced that their educational achievements be recognised as equally acceptable if women succeeded in subjects held to be prestigious for men. She rejected any idea of a special system or curriculum for women because, because she believed in complete equailty and believed that anything different may be potentially considered as inferior.