Women - Who Else Could Birth A Nation?
Friday, June 16th, 2006By Mimi Rothschild
Homeschoolers will find that history is full of women and events involving women that are very important to the development of the United States today. Women had few legal rights in early America. Married women were not allowed to own property, or enter into contracts on their own. Women were discriminated against in other areas also, such as education, careers, legal rights and voting rights.
During colonial times girls were sent to “dame” schools where all they were taught was how to read and write. Many were homeschooled, but did not study the subjects that homeschoolers get to today. Boys went to “master” schools where a variety of subjects were taught, similar to high schools today. Girls were only allowed to attend “master” school during the summer, when most boys worked, and only if there was space. In 1833, Oberlin College began accepting female students and throughout the 1800’s more colleges and universities followed.
Few colonial women worked outside the home. Homeschoolers will find that it was rare for a woman in colonial times to pursue a career in a field associated with men, such as medicine, law, and ministry. Most colonial women who earned wages worked as seamstresses or ran a boarding house.
With the rise of industry during the 1800’s, homeschoolers see that women began to work outside the home more, mostly in factory jobs. Women worked for long hours with little pay, and poor working conditions. Many states began to make laws during this period to improve conditions for working women and children. Homeschoolers will see that during the 19th century, women began to gain acceptance in the careers of teaching and writing but were still excluded from medical professions including nursing. Before the Civil War nearly all hospital nurses were men.
Women also began to speak out about women’s rights. In New York City, in 1848, women met for the first time to discuss their right to vote. Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucy Stone, are women that homeschoolers will recognize as being instrumental in the women’s suffrage movement.
The beginning of the 20th century brought about more changes and laws that improved working conditions for women in factories. Top medical schools began to accept women into their curriculum. Women began entering the work force in greater numbers, choosing clerical jobs, factory work, and service and sales positions. World War II saw thousands of women entering the military as nurses and office workers. Other women worked in factories creating materials for the war effort. Even though women worked the same jobs as men, they earned less money for the same work. Homeschoolers will learn that this continued until Congress passed the Equal Pay Act in 1963.
Today women hold important positions in all professions, including government. There are slightly more women in America than men, and more females attend college than males. The Census Bureau reports that more than 5 million businesses in the United States are owned by women. You’ve come a long way baby!