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Dorothea Erxleben
Jun. 29th, 2004 10:24 amIn 1754, Dorothea Erxleben, from Quedlinburg (Prussia) got her doctorate degree from the University in Halle (Prussia, too).
Why is that worthy of a journal entry? It's the 250th anniversary of that event. But the most important thing: Dorothea Erxleben was the first woman to get a doctorate degree in the German world. Also, it was practically illegal for her to graduate, and for her professors to let her. Only in 1908 did Prussia pass a law that allowed women to go to university at all!
But apparently, the University in Halle did not agree with the ideas of the Prussian state. Good for Dorothea. But still she must have been a rather stubborn person to go through this. I'm sure it was hard for her. Not only to get into university in the first place, but also to study there. Being the first woman ever to be there.
How may the men have reacted to her? I'm sure some made fun of her, telling her she would never be able to learn enough. Some might have pitied her. Something like "Poor thing, can't find a husband..."
Whatever the students thought, the professors must have supported her. Otherwise she would not have been able to study.
I wonder what would have happened if she hadn't. Prussia took about 150 years to create a law that allowed what she had done. If Dorothea had never existed, maybe women would have gotten the right to study only after WWII or so, through the influence of other countries. Prussian law made up the most part of the law of the German state founded in 1871, so that idea is not taht unlikely as it may seem.
Yes, I'm glad that this strong-willed woman existed. I am glad that the University in Halle was so modern as to allow her into their sacred walls.
But most of all, I'm glad that women today can study whatever they want.
Why is that worthy of a journal entry? It's the 250th anniversary of that event. But the most important thing: Dorothea Erxleben was the first woman to get a doctorate degree in the German world. Also, it was practically illegal for her to graduate, and for her professors to let her. Only in 1908 did Prussia pass a law that allowed women to go to university at all!
But apparently, the University in Halle did not agree with the ideas of the Prussian state. Good for Dorothea. But still she must have been a rather stubborn person to go through this. I'm sure it was hard for her. Not only to get into university in the first place, but also to study there. Being the first woman ever to be there.
How may the men have reacted to her? I'm sure some made fun of her, telling her she would never be able to learn enough. Some might have pitied her. Something like "Poor thing, can't find a husband..."
Whatever the students thought, the professors must have supported her. Otherwise she would not have been able to study.
I wonder what would have happened if she hadn't. Prussia took about 150 years to create a law that allowed what she had done. If Dorothea had never existed, maybe women would have gotten the right to study only after WWII or so, through the influence of other countries. Prussian law made up the most part of the law of the German state founded in 1871, so that idea is not taht unlikely as it may seem.
Yes, I'm glad that this strong-willed woman existed. I am glad that the University in Halle was so modern as to allow her into their sacred walls.
But most of all, I'm glad that women today can study whatever they want.
