Gender Gap In Education In Colonial America

The concept of sociological imagination is the ability to see the relationship between individuals and society; more specifically the relationship between private problems and society’s problems. Many social institutions influence our lives and beliefs, two institutions that influenced my life in a big way are education and race. Choosing to go into higher education and being a Chicana have shaped my character and beliefs. Every child in the United States is exposed to school around the age of 5 when they are enrolled into Kindergarten, they will continue to go to school for at least the next 12 years. I was exposed to education at the age of 4 when I started attending pre-school. From the very start my parents showed their interest in
He points out how in 1950, 9.9% of men ages 30-34 years old completed tertiary education and 7% of women ages 30-34 completed tertiary education which caused a 2.9% gender gap but by 2000, the gender gap was -2.2%. This data shows how education for women has changed if the gender gap were still to exist today I would have had more obstacles to achieve my education. According to the National Women’s History Museum “In general, the purpose of women’s education in colonial America was to become skilled at household duties and chores in order to find a suitable husband.” Women did not have the same educational opportunities as women of today do, in fact although Harvard opened in 1636, the first college to admit women did not do so for another 200 years. Thankfully today gender is not an obstacle to get admitted into a
Slavery and segregation existed. “Slavery was practiced throughout the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries, and African-American slaves helped build the economic foundations of the new nation” (A+E Networks, 2009). During the 1830s to 1860s, a movement to abolish slavery in America was led by free blacks and white supporters. The Underground Railroad also was a part of freeing slaves, this helped fugitive slaves who had escaped stay safe. Finally in 1865 the 13th amendment officially abolished slavery and allowed them to have citizen rights (A+E Networks, 2009). But even after slavery ended it was hard for people of color to buy property and be successful, racist organizations to this day still exist such as the