School Handicraft as a Tool for Women’s Education

Authors

• Päivi Marjanen Laurea-ammattikorkeakoulu

Abstract

Before comprehensive school handicraft was taught separately for girls and boys in the Finnish school system. It is known that school handicraft is under pressure for change in the future. This is partly due to the fact that the subject is still very gendered. The aim of this article is to explain what kind of womanhood has been constructed through school handicraft during the years 1866–2003. According to my research results school handicraft has been used to answer to the changing ideas of womanhood (Marjanen 2012). As women's sphere expanded in society, a woman’s role changed from that of a home-focused caretaker to an active member of civil society and furthermore towards global citizenship. At the same time when a woman’s role was remodeled, the need for women's handicraft skills changed from home textile products expertise to economic consumerism, textile and information technology. The main sources used in the article are committee reports and school books.