Education and career paths of graduates from the Upper Secondary School for Girls in Turku during 1890–1910

Authors

• Marjo Nieminen Turun yliopisto

Abstract

The paper examines the early history of Turun suomalainen jatko-opisto (The Upper Secondary School for Finnish-speaking Girls in Turku) and its pupils. The school was established in 1895, and it was among the first schools for Finnish-speaking girls. The school’s stated goal was to prepare girls for the matriculation examination and thus for university studies. The paper asks who studied in this school, where its pupils continued their studies and what kinds of occupational careers they had. The source material consists of the archives of the school. This study sheds additional light on the history of girls’ secondary schools, a topic that has been relatively little studied. The results also clarify the picture created by previous studies about women’s educational and vocational history.