ABSTRACT

As educational opportunities for women and girls expanded in the Victorian and Edwardian periods, science and domestic subjects were increasingly linked. This article draws upon research from the history of education and women’s history to examine how schools contributed to contemporary constructions of housework. It takes two case studies: the North London Collegiate School and Manchester High School for Girls. Both were new day schools for the daughters of the professional middle classes and faced the challenge of designing an appropriate course of study for future ladies. This article argues that these schools drew on the perceived relationship between science and domestic subjects to form their own conceptualisation of housework as an intellectual activity. Practical work in science and domestic subjects was central to this representation, as the schools acknowledged the realities of running a middle-class household. This conceptualisation of practical, intellectual housework aligned with the interests of female students and staff.

摘要

在维多利亚时代和爱德华时代，随着妇女和女孩受教育机会的扩大，科学和家庭学科的联系日益紧密。本文借鉴教育史和妇女史的研究来探讨学校如何促进当代家务劳动的构建。这需要两个案例研究：北伦敦学院和曼彻斯特女子高中。这两所学校都是为职业中产阶级的女儿们开设的新走读学校，并面临着为未来的女性设计合适的学习课程的挑战。本文认为，这些学校利用科学与家庭学科之间的感知关系来形成自己的家务劳动概念，将其视为智力活动。科学和国内学科的实际工作是这种表现的核心，因为学校承认经营中产阶级家庭的现实。这种实用、智力家务的概念化符合女学生和教职员工的利益。