Promoting women as teachers meant that females could hold a “high and honorable profession”. Women of the 1800s were economically vulnerable due to limited choices of work, and teaching meant that they could be independent.
She argued that they were more qualified to work with human development, and that they tended to be more benevolent and willing to make sacrifice. Not only was she concerned with child development, but Beecher had other motives, too. Promoting women as teachers meant that females could hold a “high and honorable profession”.
Even though the profession has improved over time, teaching is still widely considered “women’s work”, and it is also considered to be underpaid and belittled. Many think teaching being referred to as a female’s job correlates directly its poor salary and lack of respect, according to an opinion article from The Toast.
According to WCU history professor and education scholar, Gael Graham, the growing feminization of teaching throughout the 19th century can also be attributed to a new view of children.
By 1860, young female teachers had claim to a fairly decent income and freedom . According to Hoffman, one huge bonus was that independent women teachers could finally marry for affection instead of marrying purely for status.
Promoting women as teachers meant that females could hold a “high and honorable profession”. Women of the 1800s were economically vulnerable due to limited choices of work, and teaching meant that they could be independent.
Into the late 1800s, teachers were stretched thin, so many of them had to instruct over 60 children at a time in a one-room schoolhouse. In a special series on teacher history, the Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) says the difficulty of the job was not unappealing, despite the vast responsibilities.
The 1890s through the 1910s was a period of teacher rebellion; women teachers were closely watched, and their work in the classroom was strictly monitored. Moreover, pay was meager and luxuries like benefits and job security were nearly nonexistent. According to PBS, teachers began to rebel and unions started to emerge.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Education , over three-quarters of teachers in primary schools are women. Women particularly dominate elementary and middle schools, and according to a 2014 study from ...
As more and more young girls took seats in lecture halls to be educated as teachers, less and less men were thought appropriate for the job. According to Hoffman, the late 19th century ideology was, “If the common schools were to form character… the male teacher was inadequate.”.
Prior to 1850, teaching was a career held in the majority by men. Boys received an education, while girls were taught how to perform household duties; this left a nearly impossible gap for women to jump if they wanted a career in education.