XI Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2019

The history of the development of women's education and professional activity over a long time has been and remains among the topical scientific and practical problems.

The issue of the university education for women arose in Russia due to the women's movement. In 1867 in St. Petersburg at the 1st congress of natural scientists, E.I. Konradi delivered a report about the need for higher female education as well as “arranging courses for them in Physics, Mathematics, historical and Philology” [4, p. 1].

In a solemn atmosphere on September 20, 1878, the Higher Women's Courses opened in St. Petersburg, which are known as Bestuzhevsky courses (named after their founder, K.N. Bestuzhev-Rumin) [2, p. 193].

From 1886 to 1889 there was no admission for women’s courses. And by the summer of 1889 there was not a single student attending the courses. The courses could completely cease to exist, but thanks to V. I. Ikskul, "women's educational institutions" resumed again [4, p. 3].

Many girls were in a hurry to leave their parents' home for the cities, since the city was the place of "rapid social and economic and cultural changes" [3, p. 188].

S.V. Kovalevskaya wrote in her “Memories”: “... from the beginning of the 60s to the beginning of the 70s, all the intelligent strata of Russian society was occupied with only one issue: a family discord between the old and the young. Whatever noble family you asked at that time, you would hear the same thing about everyone: parents quarreled with their children. ... "They haven’t agreed about their convictions! - ... this ... is enough to force children to leave their parents and to make parents to renounce of their children" [1, p. 57].

Since it was not possible to enter a university in Russia, young girls sought to enter a foreign university. Often having entered a foreign university young girls were indulged into various reflections.

So in 1863 in the apartment in Heidelberg Sofia Kovalevskaya created a “student community”, in which Russian girls who “had escaped” from their parents' home were received [3, p. 194].

Since the 60s women began to work in printing houses, offices of private enterprises. In 1863 for the first time a woman became a cashier on the railway station, and in 1866 the first female official was taken to the service, etc [3, p. 203].

Women were strong and determined in their aspirations.

So, for example, we read in P. S. Stasova's “Note”: “Both women and girls — everyone was then striving for artificial labor. The knowledge of languages by the majority of women directly showed them the literary work of a translator, as being completely accessible to them ... ” [5, p. 120-121].

The sensation of the second half of the XIX century was the letter of Maria Tsebrikova to Alexander III. In the letter, she unmasks negligent officials and ministers. From the very first lines, Maria writes that “the laws ... punish for the free speech. All that is honest in Russia is doomed to see the triumphant arbitrariness of the bureaucracy, the persecution of the thought, the moral and physical abuse of the young generations, the powerlessness of the people being robbed and repressed and keeping silent ” [6].

M.K. Tsebrikova indicates to the Emperor that sooner or later the patience would end and the cup would overflow: "The hour will come ... and the citizens having got over patronage will start talking in a loud and bold voice of adulthood - and the authorities will have to retreat" [6].

Pointing to the extremely difficult situation of ordinary people, Maria Tsebrikova requested the Emperor Alexander III to guarantee legal statehood, freedom of the press, and equality in education for men and women [6].

Despite the fact that women were able to get higher education, they could not realize themselves in their professional activities.

Even in spite of the fact that the professional activities of women in Russia were later approved officially. However, the conditions of women’s work valued much lower than those of the male population.

Women began to make their way not only to special and higher education, but also to the professional field of activity.

They were stopped with nothing: low wages, recognition of their usefulness and importance in work, difficulty in finding a job, etc.

From the very beginning, such women as Maria Trubnikova, Nadezhda Suslova, Evgenia Konradi, Sofia Kovalevskaya and some others shared ideas about the new ideals of life.

At the same time, the life concepts and plans of “new women” also changed: they defended their interests and opinions; they married for convenience or ran away from the parental home to get higher education; they made their own career and achieved unattainable things, etc.

In this regard, the range of actions and functions of women in the society changed significantly. Previously, in accordance with traditional attitudes, women were limited with family relationships.

Now, the changed female consciousness led to the girls’ defending their position in the public life, to achieve equality in their personal life and in the society. However, this does not mean that women abandoned their main maternal role.

Thus, for the first time, in the second half of the XIX century, the government began to consider a woman as a person in the society, thanks to women's addresses and societies. For the first time, women's schools for vocational education opened. In addition, the society gradually began to recognize a woman as a worker.

Список литературы:

1. Ковалевская С. В. Воспоминания. Повести (К 125-летию со дня рождения). М.: Изд-во «Наука», 1974. С. 602.

2. Павлюченко Э. А. Женщины в русском освободительном движении. От Марии Волконской до Веры Фигнер. – М.: Изд-во «Мысль», 1988. С. 269.

3. Пиетров-Эннкер Б. «Новые люди» России: Развитие женского движения от истоков до Октябрьской революции / Пер. с нем. Ю. П. Шаттона; Под ред. М. П. Мохначевой. М.: РГГУ, 2005. С. 444.

4. Покровская М. И. О высшем женском образовании в России / Врач М. И. Покровская - Санкт-Петербург : тип. П.П. Сойкина, 1906. С. 28.

5. Стасов В. В. Надежда Васильевна Стасова. Воспоминания и очерки. С.-Петербургъ: Типография М. Меркушева. Невский просп., № 8., 1899. С. 526.

6. Цебрикова М. К. Письма к Александру III.[Электронный ресурс] – СПб, 1906. Режим доступа: http://www.a-z.ru/women/texts/alexiiir.htm (Дата обращения: 10. 05. 2018.)