The middle class girls went to Church of England schools or private schools where they learnt the basic three R’s. ‘Rithmetic, ‘riting and reading. There were also non – conformist schools, which taught science and maths as well.
Working class girls had very little education. The only schooling they had was at Sunday school, which was free to go to, here they were taught two of the basic three R’s. ‘Riting and reading. They read from the bible and copied from the bible and this was all they learnt. The working class girls could also go to monitorial schools; these were schools full of working class children of about 80 or more to a single class. There would be ten or so smarter children and a teacher, the smarter children were called the monitors, they were taught by the teacher and in turn they taught separate groups of children. These groups of children then taught the next group and so on. There were no questions. They were taught by repetition. Monitors repeated the teacher and the children repeated the monitor. There were also Dames Schools, which started out as child minders, this did cost a few pence though and they taught basic education such as writing and reading.
Up until 1850 education for girls was not at all important.
On the 4th of April 1850 Frances Mary Buss started the North London Collegiate School (N.L.C.S.) for girls. And later Dorothea Beale founded the Cheltenham Ladies College, which was a boarding school; both fee paying for the upper and middle classes. These schools for girls provided excellent education for girls and had a very wide curriculum, and they taught girls upto the age of 18.
There were many changes after 1870, such as Elementary, Public and Universities were being founded. All children, both boys and girls, were made to go to elementary school till the age of 9. Also the Universities and Colleges such as the Cheltenham Ladies College were a break through in women’s education. These new laws Guaranteed education of Middle and Working Class women. Women started to think for themselves after this but sexism was still there, it was an improvement but wasn’t a huge improvement. The Elementary schools may of given opportunities to the lower classes but these were largely overcrowded and they had to leave at the age of 9, which doesn’t help them much as at this age they were still too young for jobs.
There was progress during this period, due to the fact of before this time there was no guaranteed education for the working class, as after 1870 this was made possible.
By 1875 Maria Grey had started the Public Day School Trust patterned on N.L.C.S. and Cheltenham Ladies College. This school started the Cambridge local exam (which was an exam similar to our GCSE’s) this exam gave university entrance possibility. Before 1873 no university would accept girls but in 1873 Cambridge university opened Girton College and Newnham College for girls, it was completely separate dorms to the boys college though. Soon after this Oxford university opened Lady Margaret Hall and Sommerville college.
This meant that upper and middle class girls could finally achieve a good education just as well as men could.
In 1870 state education started for the working class under the Forsters education act. This provided education for the poor. It was not compulsory but not free either. In 1880 the state education was made compulsory for girls of 5 to 10 years old under the Mundella act.
In 1891 education for the poor was made free. And in 1899 it was made compulsory to go to school for 5 to 12 year olds.
And then finally in 1901 the Balfours education act said there would be free scholarship place to the grammar school for achieving girls from working class families.
Economical progress
Before 1870 women’s jobs were very menial and repetitive and also were often at a much lower rate than of a man doing the same job. Upper and Middle Class women were very idle before 1870 and spent most of their time playing the piano or being ornaments. The working class women had low paid jobs such as; Domestic service, working in fields and Factory working. The Upper and Middle Class women of the times duties was to be in charge of the house, and their maids and servants did the jobs and not them.
After 1870 things changed, such as a London School of Medicine was founded for women, by 1900 there were 300 women doctors. There was also a new range of Working class jobs were available, such as being a Telephonist, Typists, Office clerks, Teachers and Shop assistants. Female fashion changed dramatically after 1870, instead of Cumbersome Victorian dresses, women now started to wear more healthier, simpler and more manageable clothes. The Middle class women started to get more professional jobs such as lawyers and doctors and teachers. The Upper Class women still did nothing they hadn’t changed much Economically, they didn’t want to.
There was progress economically after 1870 as a wider range of jobs became available for the working class women, and also a wider range of more professional jobs for the Middle class women. Women would find it hard during this time for their careers, as they tended to have children that interfered with their work. The women still also got paid less than of a man in the same position.
Legal and political progress
No matter what class they were women were not expected to take positions of leadership, this was a mans job.
Before 1870 women were not bothered about Legal and Political rights. Before 1870 when a woman got married all her wealth and possessions became her husband’s property, this included any children the woman had had in any other previous marriages.
After 1870 things looked up for women’s rights, in 1870 Parliament passed the law in which Married women were allowed to keep their own earnings, it was another 12 years before they were allowed to own property and dispose of it as they wished this law was passed in 1882. In 1888 women were able to vote in the County and Borough elections, this was one of the first steps in which women had taken in how their country was run. Until 1907 women were not allowed to become Councillors, around this time women started to form groups and organizations that campaigned for women’s right to vote, such as the N.U.W.S.S, this started to lift off and more and more women started to fight to gain this franchise.
This was Progress as it was a starting point for Women’s rights. The Married Women’s Property Acts let women have some Legal rights, but this did not allow them to vote for their own country, although they were allowed to vote and run for Local Elections. Men thought these rights were too much, they thought that the women couldn’t votes sensibly and should leave it too their husbands.
As women became more and more independent and educated they wanted equal legal rights. They wanted all their wealth and possessions and earnings to belong to them and not their husbands. They gained legal status in 1882 but still did not have the right to vote.
In 1888 women were allowed to vote in county and borough elections. By 1900 there were many women’s organisations to win the vote.
