Education Of Girls Research Articles

Impact of Education on Women Empowerment in India

Women's empowerment is the process in which women expand and recreate what it is that they can be, do, and accomplish in a circumstance that they previously were denied. And, that is possible only when we educate a woman that does not only mean a school’s conventional learning but also refers to every form of education that aims at improving the knowledge, and to develop the vocational skills. Women’s education and their empowerment is still a very hot topic of discussion in India that needs to be addressed for the development of the country. According to the statistics released by the latest census of 2011, India’s female literacy rate is 65.46%, significantly lower than the world average of 79.7% as well as approximately 15% lower than the literacy rate of men in India. China, India’s neighbour and the other global human resource powerhouse, precedes with 82.7% female literacy rate. Though The Right to Education (RtE) Act, introduced in 2009 making elementary education free and compulsory in the country, has been a shot in the arm for many, still the statistics do not sound good at all. Indeed, India has seen a rapid growth and the development of Women for Education in past years after implementing some women-friendly campaigns such as "Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao" so well but the Indian development model has yet to completely incorporate the important role played by women for propelling the socio-economic growth. Rather the culture of many Indian families of spending much more money on the marriages of the girls more than their education especially in higher and specialized education is pulling our country back-foot. Here, a big question also arises that how many Indian women are encouraged and aware about the government plans also for fostering Vocational and Technical education for girls as well as for providing them with the employability in different areas.

Gender-equitable caregiver attitudes and education and safety of adolescent girls in South Kivu, DRC: A secondary analysis from a randomized controlled trial.

BackgroundAdolescent girls face myriad threats to their well-being and safety as a result of gender-inequitable attitudes and norms, and these risks are often exacerbated during humanitarian emergencies. While humanitarian actors have begun to address caregivers’ behaviors and gender attitudes as an approach to support and meet the needs of adolescent girls, best practices for working with caregivers to improve adolescent girls’ well-being in these settings have yet to be identified.Methods and findingsThis study uses panel data from a program evaluation to analyze associations between changes in gender-equitable attitudes among caregivers and changes in schooling and violence victimization for girls ages 10 to 14 years old in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Participants were recruited in May 2015 for baseline (May to July 2015) and endline (August to October 2016) data collection. Baseline and endline data for both caregivers and girls were available for 732 girls. The average ages of adolescents and caregivers were 12 and 40.7, respectively, and 92% of caregivers were female. The predictor of interest was the change in caregivers’ gender-equitable attitudes between the 2 points in time, where attitudes were measured using 10 underlying survey questions. The primary outcomes of interest were dichotomous and included improvement in schooling participation and declines in physical, sexual, and emotional violence and feeling uncared for. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between changes in caregivers’ attitudes and 5 outcomes of interest and revealed that an increase in a caregiver’s gender-equitable attitude score was associated with significantly greater odds of a girl experiencing an improvement in schooling participation (aOR = 1.08, CI [1.005, 1.154], p = 0.036) and of a girl experiencing a marginal decline in physical violence victimization (aOR = 1.07, CI [0.989, 1.158], p = 0.092). Analyses also revealed that older girls had lower odds of experiencing an improvement in schooling participation (aOR = 0.77, CI [0.686, 0.861], p < 0.001), physical violence (aOR = 0.86, CI [0.757, 0.984], p = 0.028), sexual violence (aOR = 0.86, CI [0.743, 1.003], p = 0.055), or emotional violence (aOR = 0.98, CI [0.849, 1.105], p = 0.005). Important limitations in this study include the self-reported nature of outcomes, use of single questionnaire items to construct the outcome variables, and potential self-selection bias.ConclusionsResults suggest that supporting caregivers to increase gender equitable attitudes may be associated with benefits in dual outcomes of education and safety for adolescent girls in eastern DRC. Further research is needed to better understand how to induce a shift in these attitudes in multisectoral programming.Trial registrationNCT02384642.

The Effect of Nutrition Education Using Pocketbook Media on Iron and Protein Intake

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; The provision of nutrition education for teenage girls is an alternative to increase protein and iron intake to prevent anemia. This study aims to determine nutrition education's effect using pocketbook media on protein and iron intake in teenage girls. The research design used was quasi-experimental with a control group pre and post-test design. Sampling was done by the purposive sampling method—statistical analysis using Paired Samples T-test, Wilcoxon, Independent Samples T-test, and Mann Whitney. This study indicates an influence of nutrition education using pocketbook media on protein intake (p = 0.000) and iron (p = 0.000) in the treatment group. There is no effect of nutrition education using PowerPoint on protein intake (p = 0.326) and substances iron (p = 0.52) in the control group. Statistically, there was a significant difference between protein intake (p = 0.000) and iron (p = 0.001) of the treatment and control groups. It is recommended that UKS and students work together to conduct nutrition education routinely so that the nutrition information delivered can be given to all students in the school to prevent nutritional anemia.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

The Evaluation of the Fourth Grade Students' Performance in Preparing and Drawing Maps of Iraq

The aim of the research is to evaluate the performance of fourth grade students in departments of Geography in drawing geographical maps and identifying geographical phenomena in a precise scientific manner, with emphasis on the need to use (map elements) in drawing.&#x0D; The map of Iraq was the sample used in the research.&#x0D; The researcher adopted the field study (tests) in the department of Geography in three colleges at University of Baghdad, namely (Arts, Education (Ibn Rushd), and Education for Girls). The sample size was about (125) students in each department, so the total number of students was (375) students, which contributed to give a clear picture about students' performance.&#x0D; The main point at which the research reached is that there are good aspects in drawing maps and identifying geographical phenomena, but not at the required level. Still some other aspects are met with a great failure due to a number of reasons such as adopting old methods, the lack of financial support, and the lack of new scientific programs which contribute in raising the level of students' performance in drawing maps. Another reasons why students are not at the required level is ascribed to the fact of not adopting the tests in drawing maps, and also the absence of specialized professors as in the Department of Geography (College of Education for Girls).

The Relationship of Aerobic Voltage to the Most Critical Physiological Variables Related to Health for Women Players of Some Group Games in the Faculty of Education for Girls

The research aims to identify the most critical physiological variables for the players of some groupgames in the College of Education for Girls (basketball - futsal - volleyball) and to compare the essentialphysiological variables for the players among group games (basketball - futsal - volleyball) in theCollege of Education for Girls The research community consisted of the players of some group gamesin the College of Education for Girls / the University of Kufa. Their number was (30), by (10 basketballplayers, ten futsal players, ten volleyball players) and the researcher used the descriptive approach tosuitability to solve the research problem and the most important conclusions were, was Aerobic efforthas an apparent effect on physiological variables compared to rest time, showing apparent significantdifferences in blood pressure variable, especially systolic pressure

AN EDUCATIONAL STUDY OF PROMOTION OF SAFE AND HYGIENIC MENSTRUAL PRACTICES AMONG WOMEN AND ADOLESCENT GIRLS OF RURAL MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA

Introduction : 1, 2 Menstruation is a monthly periodic shedding of uterine lining in reproductive age females. Safe and hygienic menstrual practices and proper disposal of menstrual material is a big challenge in rural areas. To deal with the issue and to raise awareness about the proper hygienic practices an educational intervention program was conducted among the women and adolescent girls in the rural area of Jabalpur district madhya pradesh. Materials &amp; Methods : Cross-sectional and educational intervention study was conducted among 150 female participants. Information was collected through pre and post surveys after an educational programme with audio-visual aids, posters, pamphlets and small group meetings, in three months' duration. Results : Among 150 female participants only 20% were aware of hygienic menstrual practices. After educational intervention, post survey, 24% more participants adopted the use of sanitary pads during menstruation while use of clothes was reduced. More number of participants adopted the practice of burning and burying for disposal of used menstrual materials. 21.33% more females adopted practicing hand washing after changing menstrual materials in a post survey. Conclusion : After educational intervention for the promotion of awareness and hygienic practices, the number of females increased to adopt the use of sanitary pads during menstruation. Number also increased in safe methods of disposal of used menstrual materials. Practice of hand washing after change of menstrual materials was also increased among participants. Less number of participants reported genito-urinary infections. Thus this study suggests the need of educational awareness for promotion of good menstrual hygiene and safe practices, which are crucial for health, 1 education and dignity of girls and women.

Critical Analysis of the Right to Education for Pregnant School-going Teenage Girls in South Africa

Most inadvertently, teenage girls in school fall pregnant. Over recent years, South Africa has seen an exponential increase in teenage pregnancy. A significant number of pregnant teenage girls end up dropping out of school as often they are unable to cope with the huge responsibility associated with pregnancy, and some schools are not supportive of pregnant learners. However, pregnant teenage girls still have the right to education. To make it methodologically sound, this study utilized a literature review research approach, mainly sourced from google scholar search engine, to address issues relating to the legal protection of pregnant teenagers. The study found that, in schools, pregnant girls were discriminated against on different grounds, and sometimes expelled. The research presented consequences of teenage pregnancy such as, dropping out of school, loneliness, anxiety/stress, and so on. More importantly, using the jurisprudence of the South African courts, the paper accentuates that pregnant teenagers still have the right to education, and being pregnant cannot be used to deprive or deny them this fundamental human right. It prohibits discrimination in schools on the basis of pregnancy, and presents arguments for continuation of schooling, and all assistance needed to ensure that the right to education is protected at all costs, even during pregnancy.

CULTURAL ORIENTATION AND GIRLS’ EDUCATION IN TEREKEKA STATE OF SOUTH SUDAN

The study examined the impact of cultural orientation on girls’ education in Terekeka State, South Sudan. The study focus was on primary school education, specifically on school enrolment and dropout among girls in Terekeka State. The study objectives were: to investigate the impact of cultural orientation on girls’ education in Terekeka State, South Sudan; and to analyze measures taking by the government to improve girls’ education in Terekeka State, South Sudan. The study was guided by the Social Learning Theory, which opines that learning is a function of observation and often influenced by factors present within our environment. Furthermore, the study employed a descriptive research design and a mixed method approach in data collection. Three methods of data collection that include survey questionnaire, interview and focus group discussion (FGD) were used to elicit data from the study participants. The study population was 206,287 and the sample size was 399 respondents determined through Slovene’s formula. On the first objective, the study revealed that the cultural factors affecting girls’ education in terms of school enrolment and dropout in Terekeka are: early marriage, domestic issues and cattle rearing. Other factors include poverty, orphanhood, unconducive school environment among others. On the second objective, the study found that the government has implemented awareness campaign programmes that promotes education, particularly education for girls, however, the medium used to convey the campaigns were not adequate to reach the intended target audience. The campaigns were conveyed through the mass media (Television and Radio), whereas many families in Terekeka don’t have access to these gargets due to poverty, consequently, the campaign did not produce the expected result. Thus, the government strategy to improve girls’ education in Terekeka state has been largely unsuccessful.

Household access to water and education for girls: The case of villages in hilly and mountainous areas of Nepal

ABSTRACT This study examines the effect of household water accessibility on children’s educational attainment in villages situated in the remote hilly and mountainous areas of Nepal. Educational attainment was measured based on school attendance, grade repetition, and completion of primary and lower-secondary schooling. The estimation results show that a one-hour increase in the time spent on a water-fetching trip will decrease the probability of girls completing primary school by about 17 percentage points (in the age group of 14–16 years). Although boys’ completion rate is less affected, they are more likely to repeat a grade. Additional analyses indicate that these results are driven by the increased participation of older boys and younger girls in household duties.

Universalization of Elementary Education: Challenges, Issues and Efforts

The Indian education system is perhaps the largest system in the world catering the need of millions of students of different socio-economic background. Education is globally acknowledged as the most powerful means of empowerment. Education is utmost important for every child irrespective of its gender. It is disheartening that, even in current modern scenario, some people are still against the education of the girl children. Every child has the right to receive elementary education however, Due to many factors girls are forced to leave school while others never have been provided an opportunity to enroll in schools. Among children not attending schools there are more girls than boys and among illiterate adults, there are more women than women. Many girls continue to dropout that adversely affects the efficiency of the education system and respective progressive expectations. The unfinished task in terms of un-enrolled and out-of-school girl child is the manor challenge. Rigorous and continuous efforts are required to bring and retain girl children under the purview of education system. The community and government schemes in this direction, can jointly play a vital role in bringing and retaining girl children to schools for primary and secondary education. To understand the problems and challenges faced by girls at elementary education level the author conducted a study in education zone Magam. The zone progressed significantly but still it has many areas of concern that are primarily responsible for un-fulfilment of the goals of universal literacy. There are number of problems which become hindrance in the way of education of girls but whatever the reason is if significant efforts were taken this problem can be then tackled easily. So, the authors hope that this study can help us to illuminate some of the complexities around education of the girls at elementary level and bring new insight to policy makers and educational practitioners.

Immunization status of children in Nepal and associated factors, 2016

BackgroundNepal has made substantial improvements in childhood immunization uptake. However, vaccination levels are still below the country-specific Sustainable Development Goal target of 94.8% coverage by 2025 for children aged 12–23 months who received all immunizations recommended in the national immunization schedule by their first birthday. A better understanding of the predictors of full immunization can inform successful programmatic interventions to improve coverage while also guiding resource allocation to ensure all children are fully vaccinated. This study estimates childhood immunization coverage in Nepal and characterizes the association between immunization status and various sociodemographic predictors. MethodsData from the 2016 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey were used to examine the immunization status of children aged 12–23 months. Immunization status was categorized as fully immunized (receiving all recommended doses), under-immunized (receiving at least one, but not all, recommended doses), and un-immunized (not receiving any doses of any vaccine). Associations between full and under-immunization and potential sociodemographic predictors were assessed using logistic regression. ResultsAmong 976 children, 78.2% were fully immunized, 21% were under-immunized, and 0.8% were un-immunized. Retention of an immunization card was significantly associated with full immunization status. Mothers who had completed a formal education above secondary school and mothers who were working at time of interview had increased odds of full immunization. Birthing in an institutional setting was also associated with higher odds of full immunization. ConclusionsOverall, immunization coverage in Nepal is relatively high, although it varies by dose and sociodemographic factors. Almost 25% of Nepalese children were not fully immunized, leaving them at increased risk for vaccine-preventable disease related morbidity and mortality. Nepal must continue focused efforts to reach every child and minimize the equity gap; programs may focus on advocating for the use of immunization cards, education and empowerment for girls, and delivery in institutional settings.

Perspectives of the influence of social determinants on health empowerment: a qualitative study of tribal women in Udaipur, north India

Background: Improvement in the women’s health promotes the sustainable development goal of good health and well-being. Providing equal opportunities and access to the resources would not empower women unless they are given more autonomy and power to take decisions. The current study explored the viewpoints of women about the influence of structural, socio-cultural determinants on health understanding and decision making. Methods: An exploratory qualitative study design and interpretive epistemological approach were used to conduct the study among purposively selected16 adult women in Udaipur sub division located in the Trans Himalayan region of north India. Data was analyzed using the thematic content analysis and constant comparative approach. Results: Based on the similarities and commonalities of the responses of the participants four broader themes and ten subthemes were identified. The study found that determinants like socioeconomic conditions, poor health literacy, less autonomy, housing conditions, harsh winters and distance negatively affect women’s health. Women identified health illiteracy, time, and lack of basic health facilities as the barriers to access the healthcare system. Conclusion: The study results recommended the need for early inclusion of women as one of the stakeholders of health system. Participatory approach by health professionals can build the trust between the health care system and women. On policy level the government needs to improve the education for girls, employment and health infrastructure. More studies on women’s perspectives towards underlying social determinants would be required for better health policies.

Стан мотивації до саморозвитку і самоосвіти під час фізичного виховання дівчат у різних закладах вищої освіти

At the present stage, the problem of implementing a personalized approach during the physical activity of girls and boys in higher education in order to solve various tasks in terms of content, including the implementation of physical self-development. The purpose of the study was to determine the characteristics of students of different institutions of higher education in the motivation of their activities to physical self-development for implementation indivsdual approach. Material and research methods. This goal achived using a set of adequate research methods. Analysis, synthesis, systematization were used to process sources of information; the necessary empirical data were obtained by the method of psychodiagnostic testing (L. Berezhnov’s test “Reflection on self-development”); to organize the study used the method of experiment, to process the data – adequate methods of mathematical statistics. The study involved 168 girls who were students of various higher education institutions, their age was 18,5±1,3. Results. The education of girls in various institutions of higher education to some extent affects the state of formation of their motivation for physical self-development and self-education. High and medium levels of such motivation are found in almost the same number of girls – future officers and future teachers of physical education; the former have a significantly higher number of low-level results dsfferent than the last one. The number of respondents who spend less than one and more than 2 hours on self-development differed significantly: girls – future officers, respectively, more and less than girls – future specialists in physical education. Conclusion. Using the results of last one as model values іs impractical. It is necessary to increase the attention of physical education teachers to the practical provision of girls with self-development and self-education, taking into account the tasks of physical education.

Prevalence and factors associated with menstruation-related school absenteeism among adolescent girls in rural northern Ghana

BackgroundAlthough menstruation is a normal physiological process that begins in girls during adolescence, it has the potential to negatively impact on the self-esteem and education of girls particularly those from low- and middle-income countries. We investigated the prevalence and factors associated with menstruation-related school absenteeism among adolescent girls in the Talensi district of rural northern Ghana.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey among 705 adolescent girls aged 12–19 years who had attained menarche. The sample size was estimated using Epi Info version 6 at 95% confidence interval and a 5% margin of error. A two-stage sampling technique was employed to recruit participants. We conducted univariate and multivariate logistic regression models to determine factors associated with menstruation-related school absenteeism which was defined as “being absent from school due to menstruation-related issues during the last menstruation.”ResultsThe prevalence of menstruation-related school absenteeism was 27.5%. School absenteeism ranged from one to seven days during the menstrual period. Older adolescent girls, (aOR = 2.38, 95% CI 1.29–4.40), use of cloth as a sanitary material at the last menstruation, (aOR = 3.21, 95% CI 2.22–4.63), and cultural restriction, (aOR = 2.54, 95% CI 1.76–3.67) were associated with higher odds of menstruation-related school absenteeism. Meanwhile, girls from moderate income parent(s), [aOR = 0.57 95% CI 0.34–0.94] had lower odds of menstruation-related school absenteeism. Mother’s education and privacy in school were only significant at the univariate level.ConclusionsThe prevalence of menstruation-related school absenteeism highlights the need for interventions aimed at improving the availability of sanitary pads for girls, eliminating cultural restrictions associated with menstruation, and also improving parent(s) income level.

GIRL CHILD RIGHTS :A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS AND IRAQI LAW

Girls still suffer from violations for their rights, they are the first victims for violation of human right. pay attention to girls and terminate the matter of the discrimination against them, especially in the developing countries and build their personality to be themselves and their families able to face the future and to be pioneers influence the society, Therefore, the United Nations focused on the rights of girls and promised it one of the sustainable development goals that it seeks to achieve in 2030. However, we lack legislation and international conventions on the rights of the girl child, Convention on the Rights of the Child for 1989, and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) 1979 violation against them are considered the keystone of the rights of girls internationally. I shall use the comparative approach in my research methodology between the Iraqi law and the international conventions and agreements, in order to compare the general provisions, as well as mentioning the most serious violations of the rights of the girl child in Iraqi society and the provisions of Islamic Sharia regarding these violations. The study aims to find special rules for the girl child that distinguish her and grant her adequate rights from childhood, as I did not find anyone who addressed the rights of the girl child in Iraqi Republic in the light of international law, despite the serious violations of her rights, and we did not find the Iraqi legislator has sought or seek to develop legislations that limiting these violations. Thus, I shall search the problem in two researches, the first about what are the rights of the girl child, The second research is about the main rights of girls. The most important results I found that the rights of the girl child encouraged and helped girls to develop mentally, physically and psychologically, that contribute to the development of societies, and the most underdeveloped states are those that do not consider or pay attention to the rights of girls under the age of eighteen, With the need to pay attention to the education and upbringing of girls to be a leading woman in society and to be able to live and provide for her family.

Indorsing adoloescent girl education in Malawi-way to woman empowerment in Africa

Education is a key to success for every member of the society. And we emphasize this principle by saying that education changes the world as anything can be transformed with education. In many countries, especially African societies, people do focus on education for male child leaving behind the girl. But if we look at the recent updates on population of our countries, it shows that females are in higher population than males. Therefore, if this larger population does not get education it means that the whole of our society is uneducated. When we educate a male child, we have educated an individual, but if we educate a girl, the whole nation or society is educated. In this respect, the world today needs to focus much on the girl child more especially on how she can be assisted to get the quality education she deserves as this vulnerable group is facing a lot of obstacles and challenges on their way to success. With the problems that the girl child is facing, several players have to come up with necessary measures to uplift and promote the girls socially, psychologically, physically as well as economically in their education. As we are promoting the girl child in education, we are preparing and sustaining brighter future for a better Malawi.

Importance of sex education for a successful transition to life after school: Experiences of high school girls with intellectual disability

Accessible summary Quality sex education is important for all students. It also helps with a successful transition to life after school. We talked to 11 Australian high school girls with intellectual disability. We wanted to know what they think about their sex education at school. The girls told us that they were often not included in Individual Learning Plan meetings. They were also not consulted about what they would like to learn in sex education. Sex education classes were largely inaccessible for them. Accessible sex education classes are important to prepare students for life after school. AbstractBackgroundStudents with intellectual disability often do not receive holistic sex education, which is critical for their successful transition to post‐school life, including having an ability to make healthy choices about their sexuality and relationships. The aim of this inclusive research study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of sex education with Australian high school girls with intellectual disability, as they prepare for a transition to post‐school life.MethodThere were 11 high school girls aged 13–20 years who participated in this study. Interviews were conducted and analysed using inductive content analysis.FindingsThe findings indicate that critical topics such as gender and sexual identity, and masturbation are not sufficiently covered in sex education in New South Wales, Australia. The participating girls also highlighted ways in which teachers could make sex education lessons more accessible. Individual Learning Plan meetings, an important platform for transition planning, were attended by less than a third of the girls in this study.ConclusionsComprehensive and accessible programmes on sex education for high school girls with intellectual disability are needed to promote successful transition to an autonomous life for these students.

COVID-19 and Women

Abstract. Modern slavery is a significant global human rights crisis that disproportionately affects women and girls, and research indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities to exploitation. Early evidence suggests that the pandemic has disproportionately affected women and girls, including an increase in lack of access to family planning and adequate sexual and reproductive care and an increase in maternal mortality rates. Additionally, the pandemic has instigated a reduction in economic opportunities and access to education for women and girls and increased violence against women. For this study, regression analysis was used to examine country-level data from 197 UN member countries. Predictor variables included indicators reflecting key areas addressed by UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG-5): gender inequality, educational and economic opportunities for females, women's leadership, gendered violence, and women's health. SDG-5 calls for gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. The criterion variable was the estimated prevalence of modern slavery across UN countries. Regression analysis revealed significant results across all models. Literacy rates and expected years of schooling for females, femicide, lifetime prevalence of violence, and several indicators of women's health were found to be strongly and significantly related to increased estimated prevalence of modern slavery. Furthermore, we propose that the pandemic has increased vulnerability to exploitation for women and girls by regressing progress across all areas addressed by SDG-5.

Effectiveness of Video Assisted Teaching Programme on Knowledge regarding Menstrual Hygiene among Adolescent Girls at JSS High School, Chamarajanagar

Introduction: The onset of menstruation is a physiological milestone in women’ reproductive life. Menarche is a recognized as one of the most vivid and emotional laden events for human faunal regardless of specific culture practices of the society. Approach and design: In this study, Pre-experimental design was adopted. Samples and sampling criteria: Convenient sampling technique was adopted to select 90 adolescent girls. The knowledge was measured by using structured knowledge questionnaire regarding menstrual hygiene. A structured video clips was showed for the samples. The data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The results of study revealed that the significance of difference between the mean pre-test and mean post-test knowledge scores which was statistically tested using paired ‘t’ test and was found to be highly significant. The results also show that the Pre-test knowledge scores of adolescent girls had no significant association with their selected demographic variables except their previous exposure to education programme and Post-test knowledge scores of adolescent girls had no significant association with their selected demographic variables except their studying class. Conclusion: Menstrual hygiene a very important risk factor for reproductive tract infection, it is a vital aspects of health education for adolescent girls.

“A Superior Kind of Working Woman”: The Contested Meaning of Vocational Education for Girls in Progressive Era Chicago

AbstractProgressive Era school officials transformed public education in American cities by teaching male students trades like foundry, carpentry, and mechanics in classrooms outfitted like factories. Historians have demonstrated how this “vocational education movement” was championed by male administrators and business leaders anxious to train the next generation of expert tradesmen. But women also hoped vocational education could prepare female students for industrial careers. In the early twentieth century, members of the National Women’s Trade Union League demanded that public schools open trade programs to female students and teach future working women the history of capitalism and the philosophy of collective bargaining. Their ambitious goals were tempered by some middle-class reformers and club women who argued vocational programs should also prepare female students for homemaking and motherhood. This article uses Chicago as a case study to explore how Progressive Era women competed and collaborated to reform vocational education for girls, and how female students responded to new school programs designed to prepare them for work both in and outside the home.