The progression of women in higher education has gone through significant, historical stages. It was not only that women who extended efforts in ending the academic restrictions against their gender. There were various forces that helped in the advancement of women in higher education. These include the popularizing of education trend, Civil War’s impact as well as the reconstruction, and the expansion of university education in relation to increasing the women’s education. In fact, the Civil War provided new opportunities such as education across all the women (Solomon, 1985). Thus, the social reevaluation that ended the slavery had also reevaluated the women’s social standing. There were various reforms that advocated education for female, which were politically motivated. During the 1890s, only few women can afford the higher education, but there were various institutions that offered professional or vocational training.
Years later, socio-economic factors, along with religious principles enabled the coeducation concept in many institutions. In fact, the establishment of Boston University allowed the admission of female students across every department, until women were welcomed not only as students, but also as university professors. Additionally, the establishment of Cornell University in the early 1950s had an idea of a people’s college that caters for both men and women. As the years go by, more and more women enter the different universities that many other states have adopted the same views about women in higher education. It was one of the historical turning points in the world of education showing that women’s access to higher education had a steady progress. It was between the 1870s and early 1900s when women took another leap in the field that was not previously designed for them. Enabling the access to a diverse institution provided the different needs of female students, which have emerged gradually, but constantly.
References
Solomon, B. M. (1985). The Push into Higher Education. In In the company of educated women: A history of women and higher education in America. New Haven: Yale University Press.
