A Historical Study On The Reform Of British Women's Secondary Education(1841-1904)

Women's education is a major issue in the development of the world today.And the development of women's education plays an important role in promoting national economic and social development and improving the quality of national culture.In addition,as a part of basic education,secondary education is instrumental to women's education because of its dual functions of employment and progression.The British women's secondary education started earlier than other countries,and the women's secondaryeducation reforms that emerged in the 1930s pushed it to a new level.This educational reform is undoubtedly of special significance to the United Kingdom and the world.Therefore,an in-depth study of the reform of women's secondary education in the UK is particularly necessary.From the perspective of history,this paper combs the background of the reform of women's secondary education in the UK and finds that at the societal level,the vigorous development of the industrial revolution had given birth to a strong demand for women's education.Then,the imbalance of gender structure had added real impetus to the reform,while the improvement ofeconomy level also provided an opportunity for this reform.Second,at the cultural level,the cultural trends such as the Enlightenment infused an ideological power for the women's education.Meanwhile,the spread of the democratic conception inspired the majority of women to participate in the social democratic political movement.This broke the male-centered discourse system in Britain for hundreds of years and opened a door of hope for women to receive better education.Finally,in the education aspect,because of the conservative backwardness of traditional women's secondary education and the lack of girls' schools,more and more women are demanding for good education.It was under the influence of these factors that Britain initiated reforms on women's secondary education in the 1930s.The reform is first carried out at the conceptual level.In order to change the people's prejudice against the development of women's secondary education,some feminists actively spread women's educational thoughts,which made the British society have a more comprehensive understanding of women's secondary education.With the establishment of some specialized women's education groups,the promulgation of the Endowed School Act and the establishment of the national secondary education system,women's secondary education has gradually gained'acceptance and recognition from the British people.In addition,the reform of the British women's secondary education is also reflected in the establishment of specialized women's secondary schools.In the process of reform,many women's middle schools received support from the society and the government,so the financial situation had improved.At the same time,higher education institutions such as Cambridge University opened the door to women also promoted the development of women's secondary education.In the end,the reform also took corresponding measures to cope with the backwardness of the curriculum and the shortage of teachers,helping women's secondary education to get out of the curriculum and teachers problem.The reform of women's secondary education in theBritain not only gives women more opportunities for development,but also has a profound impact on the social level of the Britain.For female individuals,the reform has expanded their right to education,and women's level of cultural quality has improved significantly.In the case of British society,women after education reform have improved social status and increased independence,as well asmore and more women are entering the workplace,providing a constant source of motivation for the development of British society.Seeing from the British women's secondary education reform,we can better find that this is a reform involving all-round participation of the state,society and individuals.The middle class is the main force of reform,and the reform also reflects the orientation of women's comprehensive education at that time.However,due to the limitations of history and times,British women's secondary education has not completely broken with traditional women's education.The goal and content of education are still influenced and clamped by patriarchal consciousness.Therefore,the reform of women's secondary education in this period is inevitable.The land is characterized by slowness,graduality,incompleteness and imbalance.In general,the reform has promoted the progress of women's secondary education and society in Britain,and also provided room for reflection and reference for the development of women's education and basic education reform in China at this stage.