Women in Victorian Society- Education

Women were not freely offered the opportunity to study extended subjects. This made it very difficult for a woman to break away from the traditional Victorian woman lifestyle. Education was specialized by gender. Woman were offered the opportunity to study refined subjects such as history, geography, and general literature.  It allowed them to hold a normal conversation with society provided with the background knowledge.  Some women did excel in "male" subjects such as law, physics, and science. Although women were rarely given the opportunity to attend university. 

In the Uk, it was even said that if a women studied against their nature it could make them ill. The Victorian period revolved around the teachings of the church and the definition of masculinity and femininity. Hence furthering the education of women was seen as the key to opening up additional freedoms to them including training for employment, a way of eliminating the boredom of every day household duties. Well after the successful openings of schools and women's colleges, the arguments still persisted; that it would impact severely the concept of Victorian family life and cause friction between the male and female students and within the female group itself as to exactly what should women be taught and to what degree.