Women, Education and Industrialization: A Comparative Analysis of Jewish, Ghanaian and Vietnamese Women.

The paper explores the effects of industrialization on objectives and content of education for women. Three groups of women serve as examples--Jewish women who immigrated from unindustrialized areas of Europe to the growing industrial economy of early 20th century United States; Ghanaian women who function in a dual economy historically and currently; and Vietnamese women who immigrated from a non-industrial society to the advanced industrial United States in the 1970s. The authors hypothesized that with increasing industrialization, schools would attempt to increase occupational options of women. Data upon which analysis of educational experiences was based included literature on immigrant education, primary sources, exercises from textbooks used in English language classes, historical accounts, curriculum, and classroom observation. For each of the groups, information is presented on the women's roles in their own society and on typical experiences of the women as they participated in American schooling. Findings indicate that, contrary to expectations, schooling tended in all three cases to constrict rather than expand women's economic and social roles and to portray the role of housewife as the most desirable occupation. (DB)