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Women have dealt with discrimination in the American school system. The attitude that this country has had toward women has evolved tremendously. With that evolution, the progression of social change has been apparent. In a sense, social change is closely intertwined with the progression of women in the American school system.
In the late 19th century, girls were given little to no encouragement. Most instructors simply didn’t care if their female students were excelling in school. Of course, it took a movement to instill change upon this concept. A group of intelligent women were responsible in helping establish higher-educational institutions for women that offered certain subjects educators once believed were unnecessary for women. These women included Jane Adams, Susan Anthony, Catharine Esther Beecher, Mary Lyon, Mary McLeod, Mrs. Carl Schurz and Emma Willard.
In 1833, Oberlin College became the first coeducational college. In 1861, the first all women’s colleges was Vassar college and it still stands and serves its original purpose to this day.
In 1860, the first graduate school for females was Bryn Mawr College.
Exactly a century later in 1960, the Women’s Rights Movement stood up against sexual discrimination. Title IX of 1972 Federal Educational Amendments had prohibited the discrimination on the basis of sex at educational institutions that were eligible to receive Federal Aid.
Women establishing a rightful place in the American Educational System has been a battle that was fought and later championed. Today, many women are still facing sexism in certain areas in life, such as the work place. For example, discrimination in jobs still exists for women and statistics has proven that men still get paid more.
American can look back to its past and see progress. It can look into its future and meet a potential ideal where society has become conscious of discrimination and its stark after-effects.
