One of the great controversies of the Victorian period (on both sides of the Atlantic) was whether women ought to be allowed to obtain a university education. Arguments raged on both sides of the issue, with men (and women) declaring that such an education, besides being wholly unnecessary for the female mind, would transform women from all that was good and pure and dainty and feminine to... well, men! Many felt that the female mind was incapable of handling higher education without actually damaging a woman's delicate mental system. This section offers a chronological look at the debate over, and evolution of, higher education for women.

The Education of Women (Godey's, 1863)

English Women of the Upper Classes (Godey's, 1868)

A look at the higher education of British women.

The Object of Education for Women, by Jenny June (Demorest, 1874)

Education, by Henry James, Jr. (Atlantic Monthly, 1875)

On the state of women's education in Boston.

Education, (Atlantic Monthly, 1875)

A look at women's education in the UK.

Higher Examinations for Women (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1878)

Degrees and Diplomas for Women (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1879)

Talks with Girls: Higher Education, by Jennie June (Demorest, 1879)

Recent Movements in Women's Education (Harper's Monthly, 1881A)

The Disadvantages of Higher Education (Girl's Own Paper, 1882)

"Woman was created as an helpmeet for man, not as his equal or rival; and woman nowadays is very apt to forget that fact," writes the (presumably male) author of this article. But don't miss the rebuttal from a 14-year-old girl on the next page!

On Higher Education for Women, by Pinkie Rosebud (Century Magazine, 1883)

A humorous look at the "evils" of higher education for women.

The Appeal of the Harvard Annex: A Claim on Educated Women (Century Magazine, 1884B)

The Harvard Annex was designed to provide collegiate education for women, and appealed for funds to make this possible; the article comments on the meagre extent to which "educated women" responded to the plea.

University Life for Women, by Barbara Foxley (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1884)

Home Study for Girls, by Barbara Foxley (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1886)

While offering several options for education for women, this article concludes that a woman must still remember that "It is a noble ideal to be a great scholar, but it is a far nobler one to be a helpful and loving daughter, sister, or wife."

Why Should a Girl Go to College? (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1886)

Ornamental or Useful? A Gossip on the Domestic Education of Women (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1887)

Should women be educated in Greek or domestic chores?

Women Who Go to College, by Arthur Gilman (Century, 1888B)

A Lance for the Lily, by Beatus (Girl's Own Paper, 1889)

"It is difficult to exaggerate the harm which has already resulted from the so-called higher education of women." The realm of reason, says this author, is reserved for man; the realm of emotions, for women.

A Perplexed Mother (Girl's Own Paper, 1889)

This mother wonders where her daughter, in her quest for education, will ever learn the virtues of neatness and tidiness!

A Collegiate "At Home", by Anne Beale (Girl's Own Paper, 1891)

A celebration of the opening of a college, attracting, this author notes, both ladies and gentlemen, suggesting that opposition to "the higher education of women" is melting away.

Notes on the Health of Women Students, by Catherine Baldwin (Century Magazine, 1891B)

A look at health statistics for female American university students.

Thoughts on the Higher Education of Women, by A Man (Girl's Own Paper, 1891)

The author sets himself the difficult task of describing "the characteristics of the feminine mind." He doesn't do such a bad job of it!

University Degrees for Women: Their History and Value, by Katherine St. John Conway (Girl's Own Paper, 1895)

On Shades in Bluestockings, by A.T. Schofield, MD (Girl's Own Paper, 1896)

A bit of a humorous (but not disapproving) look at the educated female.

Some Results of the Higher Education of Women, by Catherine Baldwin (Century Magazine, 1896B)

The work of "The Women's University Association for Work in the Poorer Districts of London."

Concerning Girton, by R.S. Warren Bell (Windsor Magazine, 1897B)

"The Girtonian is little more than a big schoolgirl ; when she is not working she is playing - or talking - hockey, cycling, golfing, or drinking tea; she is blessed with an excellent appetite; she goes to bed early and she gets up early."

Girls as Students, by Lily Watson (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

"Education is the business of the whole life," says this author, who takes a look at the current status of women's education.

• See Women's Colleges for information on colleges for women in Britain and America.