Question

One strong prejudice inhibiting women from obtaining higher education in the early 19th century was the belief that

a. they would gain political and economic power through education
b. women were inherently conservative and opposed to social reform
c. children should grow up without the influence of educated women
d. too much learning would injure women's brains and ruin their health

Answer 1

In the early 19th century, the prevailing prejudice against women's higher education was the belief that intellectual pursuits could harm their physical and mental health.

Step-by-step explanation:

One strong prejudice inhibiting women from obtaining higher education in the early 19th century was the belief that too much learning would injure women's brains and ruin their health.

During the early 19th century, societal norms and misconceptions about women's roles and abilities created significant barriers to their education. There was a widespread belief that intellectual activity was unsuitable for women as it could lead to physical and mental ailments, an idea rooted in a broader context known as the Cult of Domesticity. Within this belief system, women were viewed primarily as pious, pure, and domestic guardians of moral virtue, responsible for nurturing and imparting good values to their children. This confined them to the domestic sphere and limited their opportunities for advanced education and public engagement.

Despite these hurdles, many women partook in various reform movements, such as temperance and abolition, and began to challenge their circumscribed social roles. Their activism, particularly in the realm of abolition, helped lay the groundwork for subsequent women's rights movements and the eventual expansion of educational opportunities for women.