The Progress of Women in the Barbadian Educational System: Then till Now
The development of the educational system in Barbados has followed closely the development of the English system, at least until recent years, and the situation of women within that system, both as pupils and as teachers, has been no exception. When Barbadian schools first began to thrive in the nineteenth century, most of the provision was restricted to primary education. There were more or less equal numbers of boys and girls attending these schools, which can be attributed particularly to a new-found parental appreciation of the importance of education to children of both sexes. However, the pupils were segregated into separate classes, and the beginnings of a pattern which later expanded more strongly can be seen. It resulted in an ideology that less was expected of girls academically (there is evidence that girls only learnt reading whilst boys did more subjects) and different practical subjects were taught to the two sexes (e.g. needlework for girls and carpentry for boys). Secondary education at this time was provided only for a limited number of children from the middle classes, mostly boys. It was not until after the Mitchinson Report of 1875 were the first two girls' secondary schools founded, namely a first grade school, Queen's College in 1881, and a second grade school, Alexandra, in 1896. The reasons for the Report's recommendation for the creation of secondary schools for girls were typical of middle class thinking of the time, namely that better educated mothers could provide better influence on their children's development. This idea that the primary role of women was to serve as mothers and wives, and limiting their activities to the home was a reality for white middle class women thus suggesting that the education provided for them was clearly not intended to broaden their