The right of women to education has been sought for a long time. The history of women's education marked the beginning of feminism. Education, over the past two hundred years, has changed the lives of American women, according to Barbara M. Solomon. In the early years of American history, women were discouraged from pursuing higher education. It would be considered unnatural for them to be educated, and women were only taught domestic skills such as sewing, cooking, and child rearing. American women began to seek opportunities for further education as well as equal rights. The history of women's education has evolved through events that have shaped American culture today. To better understand the women's education movement, it is important to know the context of its history. Education has been the barrier that has prevented women from achieving equality in society, separating them from their male counterparts. Women who sought higher education were considered pagans and the most disgusting beings that could perish. Without education to empower them, women were deprived of their dignity and rights by their husbands and other men in the community. The fight for women's higher education is a battle that has not yet reached its citadel. In the Victorian era, receiving an education was an act of discord. Women had to be pure, domestic and submissive and these traits could not be acquired through education. Women's education was thought to disrupt the social balance of the time, but in the Victorian era, women were educated because they were the mothers of men. They wanted women to teach their children, so they had to be educated. Women were deprived of their rights and dignity, but eventually they were free to break through middle of paper......#ixzz1n2XYg3k0History of Women's Education | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_7433340_history-education-women.html#ixzz1n3MGmvdE “Women in Education.” American Decades. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. February 21, 2012. “Women in Education” < http://www.awsem.com/> “Women in Education.” American times. 1997. Retrieved February 21, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2536600995.htmlElizabeth Horany. Woman in education. May 18, 2002. April 6, 2007. http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~ulrich/femhist/education.shtmDr. Ilya Sandra Perlingieri. Women in society. March 2006. April 6, 2007. http://www.antiquesjournal.com/Pages04/Monthly_pages/march07/paintresses “Effects of Women's Pursuit of Equal Education Rights” and < http://movieimax.com/ womens-zone/education /effects-pursuit-of-women-equal-rights-to-education>