Education

I was watching the movie 'Mona Lisa' and was wondering, what is the purpose of a college education for women who were all to become housewives and never use this knowledge to accomplish anything? Coco, 16.

Comments

I'm really confused by your tenses. "What IS the purpose of a college education for women who WERE all to become housewives..."? So, let me begin by saying that I'm not really sure what exactly you are asking, so let me try to answer what MIGHT be your question, and let's see if that works for you.

First, you might be asking what WAS, or what COULD HAVE BEEN, the point of getting a college education, at a time when all women would (only) become housewives, and so on. Even in such societies, I think, there would be good reasons to become educated. These might include being better able to interact in an interesting variety of ways with your husband and your friends--after all, educated people are more interesting to talk to than uneducated people, as a general rule. Moreover, even housewives do many things that are profoundly valuable (to themselves, to others they care for, and to society)--for one thing, they raise children. Isn't it better to raise children from a standpoint of greater, rather than less, knowledge? Finally, I think it is also historically accurate to say that the education of women has been one of the most significant forces in allowing them to escape from the most confining social arrangements, and in moving cultures to include them in more and more fruitful ways. It is too easy to oppress those who lack education--it is much harder to oppress those who know they are oppressed!

These same reasons apply today, as well, so if you are asking what is the point of getting an education if all a woman plans is to become a housewife, I would make the same reply: You will be a better wife, mother, and manager of your home if you get an education. And then, if she is willing to listen, I might add: You can also, by getting an education, learn about other possibilities you might pursue in your life.

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